Colombia La Colmena

We are absolutely delighted to have this beautiful, juicy washed lot back in the roastery as we enter our second year working with import partner Semilla and producers of the ‘La Colmena’ (‘The Beehive’) coffee growing community. We admire Semilla's main focus which involves identifying smallholder producers on the periphery of the supply chain and moving them into the core with better autonomy and agency in the transaction. In Colombia, Semilla achieve this by working alongside Monkaaba, a smallholder coffee grower empowerment initiative based in San Agustin and led by Esnaider Ortega Gomez and select other growers who have worked for many years to sell their coffee as specialty. In the words of Semilla, their “goal is to assist other growers in the area to not only find a better market for their coffee, one that pays a solid price, but also to invest in the knowledge and skill of producers in a way that ensures their future success.”

In the same way that a society of bees operate in a hive, all individuals of La Colmena are working towards the same goal, co-operating seamlessly, with the community’s success hinging on the combined efforts of each producer. Key knowledge and understanding about both coffee quality and the intricacies of the complex coffee supply chain is freely accessible and shared by the group. Esnaider runs weekly cupping sessions where producers have the opportunity to bring coffee samples for free sensory evaluation and receive feedback on everything from processing, preparing coffee for export and most importantly how they can improve its quality. Colmena then, represents the power of that community initiative to empower and educate the smallholders who are typically left on the fringes looking in.

This iteration - created specifically for us here at North Star - is made up of lower quality, high potential varieties from thirty growers. Amongst them count some of the younger generation of the group, such as siblings Yuri, Robert, and Mauricio Montanchez (who have also produced many amazing microlots) but it also includes coffees from newcomers like Julian and Diego Burbano, who are the brothers of long-time contributor Carolina and are in their first trials attempting to enter the specialty market. Also included are several small lots from founding members of Monkaaba including Jaime Burbano, Angel Ortega, and Esnaider Ortega Gomez.

La Colmena is essentially a gateway that not only gives these new producers the opportunity to receive a better price than what’s offered on the conventional market but also receive advice and feedback on processing that helps to elevate quality, allowing them to set themselves apart from what’s out there on the world market. Many of the growers who have submitted coffee to the Colmena blend have ended up achieving micro lot status after joining, a sign that this project is working. Esnaider Ortega Gomez truly believes that “this type of supportive ecosystem - the beehive - is leading to increased quality and consistency of quality across the board for all the smallholders affiliated with Monkaaba.”

After tasting this coffee for the first time we have to agree with Esnaider. This has everything we look for in a washed Colombian coffee. So much clarity with juicy stone fruit flavour and a beautiful caramel sweetness. This is such a versatile coffee that shines when brewed without milk on paper filter methods but also takes well to milk when served as espresso.

If you order 1-2 x 250g bags of coffee, they will be sent in a letterbox friendly package so that you do not need to be in to take receipt of your coffee.

Our 250g bags are 100% home compostable including the valve, seal and sticker! They will degrade in 6 months in a well managed home compost.

Our 1kg bags are currently in LDPE plastic - some councils will recycle this for you, if you are unsure simply take it to your local supermarket with your other plastic packaging.