Colombia Small Prducers of Aponte - Honey Process

Tastes Like: Apricot, Peach, Marzipan

Contributing Producers: Jhon Ordoñez, Eiver Jojoa, Jorge Jamivioy, Eivar Janamejoy, Fabiola Gómez, Orfelina Chasoy, Arturo Adarme, Luis Yela
Farm: Finca La Esperenza
Region: Nariño
Municipality: Tablón de Gomez
Variety: Caturra & colombia
Altitude: 2100 MASL
Process: Honey
Average Farm Size:  1 Hectare

The farms in the region are tiny – averaging just one hectare – and are some of the highest situated coffee farms in Colombia, with most sitting above 2,000 meters above sea level. The producers who grow coffee around Aponte have pioneered farming and processing techniques to successfully produce high-quality coffee in such unique conditions.

Aponte is home to the Inga people, a group who are historically related to the Inca and indigenous to parts of Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. The town was once called Janguana and was the northernmost point of the Incan empire. Visiting Aponte is a unique experience; the town operates as an indigenous reserve, independent from the Colombian government. On the streets, people continue to wear traditional garments (‘cusma’ for men and ‘pacha’ for women) and to speak to each other in the local Inga language, a dialect derived from Quechua (the pre-colonial language of the Inca people from the Andean Mountains).

In Aponte’s society, there is no such thing as private property and farms are owned by the community at large. Town leaders, or ‘Taitas’, have the final say on how each parcel of land is cultivated. Growing coffee has gained approval from Aponte’s Taitas due to two major factors: it is a relatively profitable and stable crop, and it prevents bigger parcels of land from being used for coca cultivation.