Farm Info

La Cristalina is located in Vereda Bajo Español, in the municipality of Chinchina. Its 21 hectares reach between 1460 and 1790 masl, with 4.1 hectares dedicated to an environmental reserve. The three Valdes family farms; Parana, La Cristalina, and San Pablo—are highly technified properties, with admirable levels of production thanks to their combined total of 421,000 trees, 142,000 of which grow on Finca La Cristalina. Each year portions of the farm are replanted, always keeping in mind biodiversity and the environment. Coffee is washed and de-pulped at the ecological mill, where the pulp is placed in a compost treatment to be converted to organic fertilizer for the coffee trees.
Coffee cultivation complements a system of regulated shade with tree species, including walnut, red cedar, and guava, which create habitats for many species of birds. Finca Cristalina plants black cedar, a tree at risk for extinction, from its own nursery in the coffee fields.

Producer Luis Jose Valdes carries on the family tradition with Café Cuatro Generaciones, the umbrella company for the three farms. The name references the four generations of his family that have been involved in coffee production. The post-harvest registration system on the farm permits full traceability of each lot.
Caldas is one of Colombia’s principal coffee-growing Departments. Along with neighboring Risaralda and Quindío, it forms part of the “coffee axis” or “coffee triangle,” indicating the importance of coffee activities; from research to social support programs to freeze drying to dry milling; that take place in the area, which is, in turn, part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape, recognized by UNESCO as a World Coffee Cultural Heritage site.

Pink Bourbon Honey Process

After selecting and carefully handpicking in the field, the ripest cherries are taken for the floating process to remove the non-dense coffee cherries and coffee tree leaves that start floating.
The cherries are left to ferment anaerobically for 12-15 hours, and after de-pulping, it goes for its second stage of anaerobic fermentation for another 45-48 hours. The coffee then goes for its honey drying phase in mechanical dryers, slowly for 100 hours.

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