ABOUT Colombia Aponté's Guardians Coffee

Grown in the highlands of Nariño in Colombia’s southwest, this Colombian coffee has an incredible story behind it. This single origin coffee’s producers, the Inga Tribe (who are historical descendants of the Inca), lived in almost complete isolation for hundreds of years up until the latter half of the 19th century. Unfortunately, in the 1970’s, the rise of paramilitary groups, guerillas, and more took a toll on the Inga people as their land became more and more frequented by these groups. Eventually, the Colombian government agreed to fund the Inga’s effort to expel these groups from their ancestral lands. As a result, the Inga were able to recover over 22,000 hectares of territory. Following this, the Inga set aside nearly 18,000 hectares as a sacred area (officially classified as protected land) and developed a financially-sustainable governance model whereby they formed the Court of Indigenous People to further help reclaim indigenous lands. 

Today, Aponte has become very famous for their production of coffee, and most of all, for their honey processes which has brought many new opportunities to grow and preserve sacred Inga lands in the most ideal way possible. For the Inga, it is incredibly important to be "the Guardians 'of the Earth” which – as said by them – is the main reason for having good health and good family. We absolutely love their beautiful way of producing coffees with an emphasis on preserving the earth.

Since 2012, the Inga have been embroiled in an ongoing legal battle with a Canadian oil company that is seeking to expand its exploratory drilling program. While the Colombian government has sided with the Inga in one such legal dispute, they have largely denied the presence of the Inga in favor of allowing exploration and extraction of these exploratory drilling programs. Even in modern times, the Inga’s battle to protect their ancestral lands continues on. 

Despite this, Inga communities have developed exceptionally high standards for their honey processed coffees, which make up around 80% of all of their production while the other 20% are reserved for washed processing. Working in conjunction with  producers in the town of El Tablon-Aponte in Nariño, this wonderful coffee offering was named “Aponte’s Guardians” in honor of the relentless effort of the Inga tribe to preserve and take care of the earth, making them true guardians of the land.

ORIGIN 

Farm: Aponte
Region: Nariño
Process: Washed
Variety: Blend
Elevation: 1800-2200 masl