Colombia La Cabaña Chiroso

The Story Behind the Coffee

Finca La Cabaña is located in the “vereda” San Carlos in Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia, and is managed by Luis Eduardo Vargas, a 64-year-old, first-generation coffee grower, along with his daughter, Katy Julieth Vargas (34). The farm consists of 6 hectares of land, sitting at an elevation of 2,000 m.a.s.l, with around 8,000 coffee trees in production of the Chiroso variety.

Luis Eduardo starts all his lots by carefully picking the ripest of cherries, which he then places in the hopper overnight. The next morning, the cherries are de-pulped and placed to ferment in open tanks for 5-8 days (with each day’s lot added to the tank, washing all together at the end). Upon washing, the parchment is dried in raised beds for around 10 to 12 days, depending on the weather.

Luis Eduardo hasn't always been a coffee grower. In fact, he used to be a cattle rancher, until he started his coffee journey in 2018 (6 years ago!!).

And not only that, he learned everything he knows about coffee from none other than Doña Carmen Montoya (Yes, the same Doña Carmen that put Chiroso and Urrao on the Map, winning the COE in 2014). He says that when he discovered specialty coffee, something clicked inside of him, and he would not trade this craft for anything.

His daughter, Katy, is following in his steps, helping with harvesting, processing and drying – and teaching the craft to her own children. Apart from coffee, the farm also produces avocados. This is our first year, and our exporter the Coffee Quest's first year, purchasing coffee from La Cabaña.