​First stop, El Salvador. We spent four days here visiting various farms of the Montesion Estate. Montesion is an environmentally responsible coffee producer, focussing much of its attention on the health and well-being of its employees. There are 6 farms, all located within the Apaneca Mountain Range. We visited 4 of the farms, otherwise known as a ‘Fincas’, including Shekinha, Shalom and Montesion Estate.

The family-run business was started in 1907, and it managed day to day by Lilliana de Naraveaz and her parents, Dr and Mrs Urrutia. They hosted us throughout our trip to El Salvador and were very hospitable and knowledgeable, both about their farms and crop and their country. This picture was taken of all of us in front of a mural in a local town called Ataco which is famous for its brightly coloured arts and crafts local to the area. The favourite local cuisine in El Salvador is a corn-based pancake called ‘papousas’, they are usually filled with another favourite food, fried beans. These are two foods which can be found as a staple of any meal of the day! Marie-Anne and I had to try one… but we weren’t too keen!

Leaving the vibrant capital of Bogota, we caught a flight to Neiva the capital of Huila. Our local guide and enigmatic coffee trader Pablo made sure we negotiated out way out of the inevitable delays.

Huila is a state located in the corridor of the Andes Mountains. It is a geographically recognised coffee growing region in Colombia.  By 2016 Huila is expected to be the largest coffee producing region in Colombia. 

Our first visit was to the Association of Occiacafe, located in La Plata which boarders Cauca. Occicafe currently has over 220 members situated in the surrounding municipals. We met with the association manager Cesar Tuilo Rameriz. At the time of our visit the main harvest had finished in the region.  Southern Huila’s main harvest runs from April to October with the fly crop from October to March.

Throughout the year parchment coffee is dropped off by farmers; they receive the daily rate based on crop quality, volume and domestic prices.