ARTICLES
John Cossette Visit Oct. 1999
Report written by John Cossette
on his recent visit to the Farm.
The Fine Colombian
Last week I made an ill-timed trip to Colombia. The poor timing had nothing to do with heavy rains, drug raids, or guerrilla warfare (although there was plenty of that), but it had everything to do with the opening of the major league baseball playoffs - I had to miss them! Foreign travel or not, this was a sacrifice. Well, despite missing the Bosox and the Mets trounce their well-healed opponents, the trip was a success. |
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| Colombian Organic - Mesa de los Santos For the last several seasons, organic coffees from Colombia have come and gone from Royal's offering list. On each occasion, they have come from a different region, at a different time of year, from a different certification agency, and with different cup characteristics. Consistency and dependability were a far dream, we were happy just to have something to sell. Finally, after years of frustration and irregularity, we feel we have found a true and faithful supplier - "Mesa de los Santos," an estate coffee from the Bucaramanga region of Santander. Mesa de los Santos is owned by the Acevedo family, who have been cultivating coffee on the farm for over 100 years. During this period, coffee farming has come and gone from the region, replaced largely by cattle grazing, urbanization, and recreational usage. Meanwhile, the Acevedo family has steadfastly held onto their land, passing it down from one generation to the next. The current owner, Oswaldo Acevedo, has run the farm for the last 7 years. It was Oswaldo who made the bold decision to grow organically 4 years ago. The transition to organic farming was not terribly dramatic. An aggressive composting program was already in place, and all existing fields were planted under a diverse array of shade trees. The resultant rich soil and biodiverse setting were well suited to organic agricultural practices. In late 1998 the farm had passed its transitional period and received certified organic status from Biolatina, a South American certification agency. In May of this year, the Smithsonian granted the farm "Bird Friendly" status, due to the organic practices and multi-storied shade conditions. At last count, Oswaldo had sighted over 70 different bird species on the farm. Currently, the farm is producing up to 1000 bags of coffee a year, harvesting from October through June. Meanwhile, Acevedo is converting coarse, eroded pasture land into additional shaded coffee parcels. When these new areas begin to provide coffee, production will double, alleviating the consistency and availability problem. The coffee coming off of the farm is classic Bucaramanga - full bodied, moderately acidic, striking aroma, and sweet flavor. While there, I cupped the first deliveries of the year and found them true to form. The first container hits the water next week! Furthermore, Sr. Acevedo will be presenting a speech at the SCAA convention in San Francisco this April on the conversion of pastureland into a shaded, organic coffee farm. If you want to know more about the coffee, hey, it'll be here in a couple of weeks! |