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From Bogota to Huila by way of plane was how the trip began. What follows is just a quick summary of over 1000 photos taken on an educational coffee excursion.
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Once on the ground all of our road trips through growing regions were with Walter our bus driver. Bus in background.
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Huila. The landscapes were amazing. Something out of the movies. We kept referencing the Netflix show Narcos as we drove through the countryside.
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We rode horses from the Market in San Augustin to Arnulfo Leguizamo's Finca Faldon and Finca La Primavera. Faldon sits at 1840 masl and Primavera at 2ooo; the trail took us through some of the other scenic farms of Los Naranjos (40 family co-op).
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Horseback riding through Los Naranjos wasn't without accident. Reg Barber's horse fell on him breaking 3 of Reg's ribs (which he found out once he returned to Vancouver).
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Meet Don Arnulfo Leguizamo owner of Finca La Premavera. Pete Licata won the USBC with Arnulfo's coffee. Arnulfo won the 2011 Colombian Cup of Excellence. He says he will not enter again in order to give the other farmers a chance to win.
Fro5:
Coffee is fermented for 15-20 hours, dried in retractable drying beds, sometimes for 10 days or more.
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Outside Fairfield Exporters in San Augustin. Cafe Imports works with two exporters in Colombia; Fairfield and Banexport. We visited Fairfield first.
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Aside from Reg Barber breaking 3 ribs, our grounds weren't that dangerous. Here is some coffee purchased by Cafe Imports. Noah stands next to some deliciousness headed to MN.
