Colombia "Mesa de los Santos"

Colombia "Mesa de los Santos"

• Roast Profile: Medium
• Flavor Profile : The cup has great acidity, body, sweetness, and character.
• A good coffee to have any time of day.
• Certification: organic, shade grown, Rainforest Alliance Certified

Legend has it that more than 150 years ago, Monsignor Francisco Romero discovered Mesa de los Santos, a blessed land in the beautiful northeastern Andes of Colombia. It is said that the priest ordered sinners to repent by planting coffee. The land soon began to produce coffee so special that Father Romero is said to have declared it worthy of being served at the "Mesa de los Santos ", the Table of Saints.

Mesa de los Santos occupies a rare spot atop a plateau in the Santander region that rises above the Sogamoso and Manco Rivers near Chicamocha Canyon, considered Colombia's "Grand Canyon." At an elevation of 5,100 feet, the farm receives the perfect balance of rain, sunlight, and cool nights producing a well-balanced coffee. Mesa de los Santos is certified organic, shade grown and Rainforest Alliance Certified.

The estate exemplifies sustainable farming practices and has received much recognition for being one of the only plantations in Colombia to be so environmentally conscious. For example, composted chicken manure is used as an excellent natural "fertilizer" for the farm's land. The chicken manure mixed with rice husks is then combined with post-wet-process coffee mucilage and pulp. Between the coffee rows, herbs including lemon balm and mint are planted as natural insecticides. Every 15 days, a mixture called purin is applied to the seedlings. This concoction contains leaves from many of the shade trees and plants that are cultivated on the farm that act as natural fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides. These are mixed with cattle manure, naturally growing groundcover, yeast, and molasses to introduce and feed desirable microorganisms that help the plants grow healthier.

The biodiversity that has resulted from Mesa de los Santos' organic farming, forestation and soil improvement techniques is beyond impressive. The multi-layered shade of the farm is an absolute haven for resident and migratory birds. Today, there are 48 varieties of shade trees established throughout the farm--more than 43,250 shade trees total--from the temporary shade of the banana to the intermediate shade and wonderful mulch created by the fallen leaves of the nine varieties of guamo to the beautiful, feathery, umbrella-like canopy of the galapo.

In addition to being an environmentally friendly farm, Mesa de los Santos takes care of its workers. There are 310 workers that receive wages at 65% above the Colombian minimum salary. The workers and their 548 family members also receive free health care and dental benefits, education allowance for children, disability insurance, and a retirement pension.

Workers at La Mesa de los Santos Estate

All coffee is grown under a protective shade canopy. Shade is vital in protecting the coffee plants from excessive sunlight, in providing biodiversity, providing a habitat for birds and mammals, and providing leaf litter and mulch for ground cover.