Colombia El Pedregal
Colombia El Pedregal
By Fidencio Castillo
Tastes: Almond, cherry, spice
Varieties: Caturra & Colombia
Region: Nariño
Process: Honey
Altitude: 2036 m
Importer: Apex Coffee Imports
Fidencio Castillo has a rich legacy in coffee production, beginning with just 1,500 Caturra and Colombia coffee trees. With the support of his family, his farm has since flourished, now boasting over 20,000 thriving coffee trees in production. Inspired by their father's passion for coffee, three of Fidencio's daughters, including the renowned producer Francy, pursued degrees in agronomy and food processing. Their drive is fueled by a shared ambition to discover and implement innovative techniques for coffee processing.
Finca El Pedregal was one of the first farms to produce coffee in Arboleda. Initially, many residents were hesitant to grow coffee due to the low temperatures in the area, which range from 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. Despite this challenge, the farm benefits from valuable resources, including the nearby Juanambú stream, making it an ideal location for cultivating high-quality coffee. The diverse ecosystem of trees at El Pedregal also taps into this stream, working together to preserve the soil and shield the plantation from strong winds.
With the aim of producing high-quality coffee, Fidencio follows practices that ensure the safety of the product. At the farm, they start by harvesting only the cherries that have reached full maturity, meaning they have a deep wine-red colour and average Brix levels above 20°B. Water is added, and the cherries undergo flotation, which also serves to wash the coffee before oxidation. The cherries are then left on hessian sacks for two days prior to pulping. Once this step is completed, the pulping machine is checked, disinfected, and used to pulp the cherries, which are then left in bags and hessian sacks for 80 hours. After this period, the coffee proceeds to the drying stage. Drying for honey-processed coffee begins in the drying area, where the coffee is left for approximately 20 to 22 days. It is then finished on concrete patios and finally transferred to bags and hessian sacks once the moisture content reaches 10 to 11.5%.