Bella Luz • Best Cup Auction • Washed Caturra

This farm is owned by Edwin Fidel Ortiz. When he was young his family was forced to leave his farm, when he was older he returned to his farm and worked to revitalize the farm to have a focus on quality. Edwin has his own washing station and dryer so that he can process immediately.

Nariño is Colombia's southernmost coffee-growing region, bordering Ecuador to the south and Cauca to its north. While each of Colombia's various coffee-growing regions has a distinct character in the cup, Nariño's unique climate conditions contribute to the special, sparkling quality of the coffees there. The dramatic slopes and valleys that comprise the landscape in this department have direct effect on the temperature modulation that creates these high-acidity, supersweet coffees: Warm, humid air collects in the lowlands during the day and creeps gently up the mountainsides at night, a combination that allows coffee to thrive at much higher altitudes than most of the rest of the country, as much as 2,300 meters above sea level.