Colombia - Jose Gomez Caturra

José Ignacio Gómez’s farm is located in Vereda El Naranjal, near the town of Buesaco in Nariño. At around 1,900 meters above sea level, Finca El Paraíso produces Caturra under an average annual rainfall of 1,800 mm. Raised in a coffee-producing family, José has developed both a refined palate and a strong instinct for quality. He cultivates coffee across six and a half hectares, alongside crops like oranges, lemons, and avocados. During harvest, José, his family, and a skilled team of pickers carefully select only ripe red cherries, which are then processed at the farm’s own micro wet mill.

A few years ago, José built a custom solar dryer next to the mill. Designed with three tiers of raised beds under a plastic roof, the structure allows sunlight in while crosswinds flow through open ends to naturally regulate temperature. The beds are used progressively: coffee is first placed on the lower tier and moved upward as it dries, ensuring even and controlled drying. Once the desired moisture level is reached, the coffee is transferred to a storage area for a resting period known as reposo, allowing the flavors to stabilize before export. Carlos Alberto, the farm manager and José’s childhood friend, oversees this process - carefully monitoring drying conditions and moving the coffee between tiers. This Castillo Natural lot was dried over approximately 20 days.

Always focused on improving quality, José continues to experiment with new approaches. Inspired by fellow producers, he has introduced Gesha trees to the farm. Planted among other varieties, these trees are part of ongoing trials to evaluate both agronomic performance - such as yield and resilience - and their appeal to roasters, across different processing methods and cup profiles.