Certified Organic For many years Tolima has remained hidden in plain sight between other well-known coffee growing regions. In recent years, locally organized associations have taken the lead in creating market access for producers' coffees. This traceable blend with a vibrant regional profile comes from an association called Cooperativa Multiactiva de Asociaciones Agropecuarias del Tolima (Multicoop), which has 379 producers with small farms in the municipalities of Planadas, Rioblanco and Chaparral. Each producer has their own micro-mill where they carefully harvest cherries, depulp, ferment, wash, and gently dry the parchment on raised beds. Their impeccable farm management and post-harvest practices culminate into a clean and consistent blend, but there are also just enough differences from farm to farm to create a rich complexity of flavors. An export company called Mastercol provides crucial logistical support for things like warehousing and milling coffee for export to the international market, which provides better income for producers to reinvest in their farms and strengthen their families’ livelihoods.
