Sara Gutierrez
The first stop on our Colombian origin trip (after visiting family first up in the north of Colombia on the Caribbean coast) was Quindio, a beautiful coffee region in the centre of the country. After arriving at Pereira airport and collecting our car, we began the short drive to the historic and colourful town of Salento where we would stay for our visit to this area.Â
Along the drive we saw incredible vistas and coffee plantations just outside the city; the roads scattered with restaurants, bakeries and tiendas (small shops) selling delicious treats such as arepas de chocolo, chocolate caliente con queso (hot chocolate with cheese, so good!) and empanadas for people visiting the region.Â
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Arriving in Salento, we were treated to the sights of all the vibrant colourfully painted houses throughout the town. Our Airbnb was no exception, a white cottage with the windows and doors painted different shades of blues and all sorts of native trees and birds surrounding it. That evening we went and explored the town centre and Calle Real (the main street) and ate some ‘trucha’ or trout, which is a popular local dish in the area.Â
The next day, after making a detour to get our morning coffee, an hour and half drive later and we were finally on the way to Finca de Buenavista, to meet Sara Gutierez and her family at their coffee farm. We have had Sara’s coffee on offer (on and off) for some time now, and I must say, it’s a crowd favourite.
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Sara, her husband Dayan and her mother greeted us at their farm full of smiles and hugs. Later, her father joined us who had just returned from a bike ride in the mountains (a sport loved by Colombians).
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We have known Sara for a while now, from afar, it was very exciting for us to finally have the opportunity to meet face to face, and the feeling was mutual. They were so happy to meet us as the people who helped make her and her coffee popular in Australia.
Their farm had such incredible views (see photos). They had prepared a tour of the coffee plantations where we saw lots of different coffee varieties and special plants to get excited about for the future. We got to cup (coffee speak for trying coffees and identifying their flavours) some her new coffees, we toured the processing and drying areas where they process the coffee (e.g carbonic maceration - the process used to develop the coffee we sell from Sara) and then dry it before getting shipped off to other parts of the world.Â
They also spoke to us about some new innovative processes they are trying which we can’t wait to sample and potentially offer to El Parche customers in the not too distant future….Â
They took us right to the top of the mountain on which their farm is located (with a bit of bush bashing along the way) to get a fantastic view of their entire farm and the surrounding farms, coffee for miles (with some cacao in the mix, too), what heaven! And of course the experience wouldn’t be complete without a delicious lunch of frijoles (beans), arroz (rice), plantano (plantain), ensalada (salad) & empanadas for everyone and, you guessed it, more coffee.
Sara and Dayan are passionate, young and innovative coffee producers, and it shows when they share everything they know. Their coffees are outstanding and we cannot wait to try more! Super happy to finally meet Sara!
I leave you some of the photos,
Thank you,
Jorge