LIMITED EDITION - Colombia, La Colmena Jamaica Gesha Natural
Once it's gone, it's gone.
We keep the prices of these extraordinary coffees down, so that you have the chance to try something that you might not be able to get your hands on otherwise.
The farm
Alex Arango is a producer of the Red Association, Villamaría. This association is composed of producers across this unique mountainous region of Caldas. The region is afforded a unique scenario, with several microclimates sitting side by side across the hills. Here, cold air currents swoop down from the snowy mountains of Santa Isabel and the active Volcan Nevado del Ruiz, improving air quality, circulation, and pollination, whilst cooling the air temperature that surrounds the growing cherries!
Producers here sell cherry instead of parchment coffee, which ensures the highest quality coffee can be processed from their land, without having to upkeep the machinery and physically process the coffee from seed to dry parchment for sale. Receiving payment for cherry means a producer receives more money, as the upkeep and time to process coffee is removed from the equation. The sale of whole cherries to a processing station is uncommon in Colombia, but seen in many other coffee-producing countries.
Once sold, the coffee is transported down the mountain to Villamaría’s processing station, called Jamaica, (said ham-ay-ka). It sits within the perfect climate for drying naturally processed coffee, some 500 metres lower than the buying station, where it is far warmer. Like many coffee producers in Colombia, producers of Villamaría had historically been promised higher prices and the purchase of a farmer's entire crop by large institutions in the past. Having never delivered on this promise, understandably, faith in new ventures had greatly diminished amongst producers.
The process
The region is fed by numerous sources of water and natural resources. Villamaría is located a few kilometres from the city of Manizales, whose urban areas are surrounded by the Chinchiná River. The drying station "Jamaica" is located in Chinchiná.
The station currently represents the harvests of up to 50 coffee producing families in the surrounding area of Villarazo, sitting at altitudes higher than the drying station itself.
With the aid of Nuna dehydrator and mechanical drying systems, controlling humidity and temperature throughout the drying process aids the processing of natural lots.
This phenomenal gesha was selected from the farm of producer Alex Arango, La Colmena. La Colmena translates as The Beehive, a name which perfectly visualises the abundance of bees that pollinate the gesha trees during the flowering season.
La Colmena neighbours the Villamaría buying station, so Alex is able to transport the cherry from his farm to the buying point swiftly. Alex contributes other varieties from his land to the larger Villamaría community lots. Upon delivering this gesha lot, Alex received 30% more profits than his typical harvest would garner.
For the natural process, freshly harvested cherry is delivered to La Aurora where it is floated, sorted and left to rest in cherry for 24 hours. The cherries are transported to Jamaica the following day where they undergo a further 48 hours of fermentation in cherry.
They are then taken to drying beds in the greenhouse for around 15 days before being finished in the mechanical dryer for 3-4 days.
Why Wogan?
Ethical
We work closely with farms worldwide to make sure that coffee farmers are paid a fair price, through Fairtrade and our own Direct Trade certifications. Working hard with coffee farmers to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
Sustainable
We maintain long term relationships with our carefully selected coffee farms, to provide the stability they need to plan for the future. The added bonus? Coffee that improves with every single crop, as their farming practices and equipment improves.
LDPE4 Recyclable
Helping you to do your bit. Our bags are LDPE4 recyclable, meaning they can be recycled in supermarkets. Alternatively, you can check with your Local Authority to see if they will collect it for you. Green lights include mentions of; bread bags, frozen food bags, squeezable bottles, bubble wrap, and carrier bags.
Carbon Pledge
We've pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030, and we're already well on the way. Our warehouses are now powered by solar panels, with the extra juice fuelling our fleet of electric vehicles.
Sustainable and ethical
We've made it this generation's mission to put sustainability at the forefront. We’ve pledged to be Carbon Neutral by 2030 and are well on our way to getting there. LDPE4 recyclable bags, a Roastery powered entirely by solar energy, and a hell of a lot more.
our story
We, at Wogan Coffee, have been lovingly hand-roasting speciality, ethical, sustainable and traceable coffees since 1970. In our third generation, and a wholly independent family company, you can find us rooted in Bristol; the same city as when Mr Wogan established the business over fifty years ago. Laura and James, grandchildren of the bowler hatted gentleman, now have the ropes firmly in their grasp; James as our resident Q Grader in the Bristol Roastery Headquarters, and Laura in London.
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