Veraneras – Colombia

In Los Robles, Huila, coffee and sugarcane are more than just plants, for much of the community they are a part of everyday life. It’s in this environment where Diana Quinayas grew up, working on the family farm after school and helping with the harvest during summer break. Diana never saw being a woman as a deterrent to working on the farm, on the contrary, she was driven to prove that the territory is full of strong, hardworking women. At the age of 13, her father gifted a section of farmland to her and her siblings, this land would teach them all a lesson in independence and responsibility. It’s with this gift that Diana was able to recognize that the effort of care put into a farm directly influences the resulting harvest.
Diana continued to work on her fathers farm while completing high school on the weekend and, by the age of 15, she met Johnathan, and they would go on to become life partners. When she turned 18 her father gifted the happy couple with a new plot of land to help grow their career in coffee. The land was originally planted with the common variety but in her quest to produce specialty grade coffee, Diana began experimenting with other varieties. After some failures they eventually discovered that the variety Pink Bourbon responds really well to the soil and conditions, producing a delicious cup. With some effort and dedication, they planted 300 Pink Bourbon trees on the farm, and from then on they reinvested all their profits back into the farm to ensure quality and growth.
This lifelong dedication and attention to detail is reflected in the quality of the cup, an incredibly clean and dynamic example of Colombian terroir.