Profile

Juan Diego and María Elena started El Troje in 2010 and live on the farm with their three children. The farm is three hectares in size, which is average for this area of Colombia, but small in comparison to other farms from which we buy. Juan Diego and María Elena maximise every inch of space on the farm, growing coriander for seeds, mandarins, oranges, corn, yucca, plantain, and granadilla alongside their coffee. María Elena oversees the processing and drying of the coffee and keeps the farm’s micro-beneficio and fermentation tanks immaculately clean. This gives the coffee every opportunity for a clean fermentation and even drying. Juan Diego looks after the farm and the trees. Over the last few years, he has been replacing older, less productive trees, and those that are struggling to adapt to the changes in the microclimate. This year Juan Diego has planted a small area with 1600 trees of new varietal—Cenicafe 1. Cenicafe 1 is the latest varietal released by the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (Federation of Colombian Coffee Growers) and Cenicafé (The National Coffee Research Centre) and is being planted in different coffee regions of the country. Before taking the risk of planting a larger area, Juan Diego wanted to conduct a trial that would allow him to see how adaptable this new variety is in this area and how it behaves in terms of the physical and sensorial quality. We will see the results in a few years’ time when the trees start production.