El Jordan - Bahareque Micro-lot Series

This bright and velvety micro-lot is produced by farmers in the municipality of El Águila at 1700 meters above sea level. 

Cafernote’s micro-lot program

In 2020, Cafenorte started a micro-lot program so that its members could be rewarded for producing higher qualities. When a member delivers coffee to one of the 12 collection sites managed by the cooperative, the coffee is immediately evaluated and cupped. If Cafenorte scores the coffee above 86 points and finds a factor below 92 they pay the farmer the local plaza + USD 0.11/lb straight away. After the coffee is sold, the producer will receive another 40% of the profit, adding USD 1.32/kg on average and going up to USD 1.76/kg. Farmers selling micro-lots will also receive two annual premiums paid to all members.

Currently, Cafenorte separates micro-lots according to cup profile rather than by farmer. Each micro-lot can be composed of beans from up to 5 producers. As the program is new, farmers haven’t yet achieved enough consistency to produce the same quality every year, so the origin of a micro-lot may vary, as it happens with many cooperatives that are starting out in the micro-lot business. This doesn’t mean the coffees are not traceable. The cooperative always knows who produced the coffees they stock and keeps strict records.

Most of Cafenorte’s micro-lots come from the higher altitude municipalities of Valle del Cauca such as El Águila, El Cairo, Argelia and sometimes Versalles, all West of the Cordillera Occidental. The micro-lots are stored in a warehouse and, once the sale is done, Cafenorte assigns the contracted bags to the client. At this point, they can tell exactly who is (are) the farmer(s) behind that lot.

Cafenorte supports its members not merely with technical assistance but also in learning how to manage the farm as a business. Many staff members of the cooperative are sons and daughters of local farmers who receive training from Cafenorte in cupping and quality control, as baristas or as agronomists. Currently, the cooperative is also working on improving how members dry their beans at the farm by helping them build polytunnels. The coop pays for a big percentage of the materials needed and provides the knowledge and the farmer is in charge of labour. 

The cooperative is also invested in composting coffee skins so they can be reused as organic fertilizer and in treating the wastewater that results from the washing process. They have been testing the efficacy of East Indian Grass or Vetiver in extracting the toxic substances in residual water and the results are very positive! This method is also affordable and low maintenance for farmers. The coop helps producers in planting the pasture and when it grows, the grass is cut with the roots and thrown in a ditch with the residual water. The roots extract most of the residue, avoiding contamination of rivers and streams.

Discover how Cafenorte supports the children of farmers.