Anserma is located in the western area of the department of Caldas. It is an agricultural center where the cultivation of coffee stands out.

The Cooperativa de Caficultores de Anserma connects farmers across the municipalities of Anserma, Belalcazar, Risaralda, San José and Viterbo. The region lies in the “Eje Cafetero,” also known as Colombia’s Coffee Growing Axis or the Coffee Triangle. Eje Cafetero is the heartland of Colombia’s coffee industry and is responsible for a significant portion of total Colombian coffee production. Anserma Cooperative was founded in 1967 so it has extensive knowledge and experience in the commercialization of coffee and the support of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. Today, members number over 2,000 farmers and span a wide age range. Most member farmers cultivate coffee on approximately 2.5 hectares and intercrop their coffee trees with other crops, like sugarcane and bananas. Many farmers also keep livestock to help diversify their incomes and feed their families.

Its main purpose is the commercialization of coffee and other agricultural products seeking to promote and improve the economic, social, technical, and cultural conditions of the associates, as long as these are linked to the agricultural activity and especially to the production of coffee in all its areas.

The Cooperative with the new General Manager, Luis Miguel, has looked to embrace technology and the shift towards specialty coffee production. They have been building temperature-controlled areas in the warehouse for looking after the micro-lots that the producers deliver. As well as this at the cooperative, they have started to experiment with producing naturals for the first time without putting the risk on the producer.

Luis Miguel invested in a drying box that can regulate the temperature and the humidity to dry the coffee. These boxes were pioneered in Colombia to try and combat the extremely challenging in the ever-changing daily climates in the Colombian Andes. To start this project, they selected a few local producers who are known for their quality to buy cherry from over the regular market price. They then set up a sorting station to pick the ripest cherry and create uniformity. The varietal used in this lot is Castillo.

After picking and separation, the coffee is then fermented in sealed barrels for 96 hours in a controlled anaerobic environment. After this, it is then put in the drying box where it is dried at 35 - 40 centigrade for 100-120 hours.

This particular microlot is experimental, it’s called Santa Ana de Los Caballeros, and it’s part of the young coffee growers (jòvenes caficultores) of the Cooperative. The management hopes to expand and improve the capacity at the Cooperative and involve more producers in this experimental program.

In the cup: Black cherry, dark chocolate, tamarind, perfumy. Creamy body, balanced acidity, long-lasting fermented cocoa aftertaste.

 Minimum resting period: 5 days for filter roast.