First Published November 11th, 2013 by Stephen Leighton
Colombia is one of those coffee origins that barely needs an introduction. It's been synonymous with quality for the better part of a century – and for good reason. But there's a lot more to the story than a fictional farmer and his donkey.
Here's how Colombian coffee came to be what it is, and why it still matters.
How coffee arrived in Colombia
Coffee's journey to the Americas is thought to have started with the French and Dutch. The French introduced seeds to their colonies in Guyana and Martinique towards the end of the seventeenth century; the Dutch brought them to Surinam in 1714. Colombia got its first coffee plants in 1723, carried over by Jesuit priests from Venezuela.
The earliest recorded coffee growing in the country dates to 1732, with trees cultivated at the Jesuit Seminary of Popayán in the department of Cauca. Commercial plantations followed by the end of the 18th century, first in Santander and Boyacá, then spreading to the hills around Medellín.
From subsistence crop to global powerhouse
In the second half of the nineteenth century, after independence from Spain, coffee growing expanded rapidly across the country. Production climbed from around 1,000 bags per year in 1850 to 100,000 bags by 1880 – then to 500,000 bags by 1905, and over 3 million bags by 1930. It was a transformation that reshaped Colombia's economy, its export profile, and its political landscape.
At its peak, Colombia was responsible for roughly 10% of total world coffee production. And it had the infrastructure to match.
The FNC and the price of reputation
In 1927, a group of growers gathered in Medellín to form what became the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia – the FNC. The logic behind it was straightforward but genuinely clever: if the world believed Colombian coffee was exceptional, people would pay more for it. So they built a brand around that idea, and ran with it. Juan Valdez – the fictional farmer and his mule – became one of the most recognisable advertising characters in history.
The FNC guarantees purchase of green coffee, giving farmers a price floor to work with. Growers aren't obligated to sell through the federation – they can still sell directly to buyers – but having that safety net changes the economics considerably. It's also a big part of why Colombian coffee consistently commands a premium on the global commodity market.
Coffee prices at the commodity level are set by the ICE (Intercontinental Exchange), in what's known as the New York C Price. This fluctuates constantly – a frost in Brazil can send it soaring; a bumper harvest announcement can send it crashing. On top of that base price, each country earns what's called a differential: a premium that reflects reputation and cup quality. Colombia's differential has historically sat well above most other origins – a testament to decades of consistent investment in its image and quality.
Challenges facing Colombian coffee
It's not all good news. Colombian coffee has faced a string of serious pressures in recent decades.
Leaf rust (Roya) is a persistent fungal disease that spreads through the air and by contact, attacking leaves and – in severe cases – killing plants outright. At best, it significantly reduces yields. Colombia has been managing outbreaks for decades, and in response the FNC has encouraged farmers to plant more resistant varietals like Catimor, Colombia, and Castillo – though this has come with its own trade-offs in cup quality.
Climate change has hit Colombia harder than many origins. Erratic rainfall during flowering seasons knocks blossoms from trees; unexpected temperature swings at critical stages of the growing cycle create real problems for a plant that doesn't tolerate instability well.
Economic pressures have also taken their toll. During the severe price crashes of the 1990s, many smallholder farmers – who typically farm less than 1.5 hectares – couldn't absorb the losses the way larger plantations could. Some ripped out coffee entirely and planted alternative crops. Combined with rising labour and input costs as the broader economy grew, Colombia's overall production volumes fell significantly from the highs of the early 1990s.
These challenges are real and ongoing. But Colombia's ability to adapt – and to continue producing exceptional coffee at the top end – speaks to the depth of knowledge and infrastructure built up over more than two centuries.
The regions: what the cup tells you
One of Colombia's great strengths is how clearly defined its growing regions are. The country sits along the spine of the Andes – which splits into three distinct mountain ranges – and each department has its own character.
Huila
Huila is probably Colombia's most celebrated specialty region right now. Coffees here tend to be big, sweet, and indulgent – think thick milk chocolate and caramel, with bodies to match. Pitalito and its surrounding area is now one of the largest single coffee-producing zones in the entire country.
Nariño
Right down in the far south-west, Nariño's high mountainous terrain produces coffees with a distinctive buttery mouthfeel, substantial body, and relatively gentle acidity. La Unión is the main hub for specialty production here. It's not the easiest region to work with logistically, but the results justify the effort.
Cauca
Cauca sits between Huila and Nariño and shares some of their best qualities – delicate floral notes, bright fruit acidity, and real sweetness. It can sometimes lack the weight and power of Huila, but at its best it's elegant and expressive.
Tolima
Located in the Andean centre-west, Tolima neighbours Huila and produces coffees with typically floral character and lively acidity. The capital is Ibagué. Historically, access to parts of this department has been complicated by the legacy of Colombia's internal conflict, though the region has seen significant change since the 2016 peace agreement.
Varietals: caturra and beyond
Caturra has long been the workhorse varietal across these regions – a natural mutation of bourbon, originating in Brazil. It's not the easiest variety to grow (low pest resistance, high maintenance), but its yields are considerably better than bourbon, and it produces genuinely stellar results in the cup. High-density planting – up to 10,000 plants per hectare in some cases – has made it practical for small farms.
The leaf rust crisis prompted a shift towards more resistant varietals, and that's an ongoing evolution. What Colombia grows over the next decade will shape what ends up in the cup – and that makes it one of the more interesting origin stories to follow right now.
Colombia today
Coffee exports represent around 10% of Colombia's total export value – significant, but no longer the economic anchor it once was. There are still more than 500,000 coffee-growing families working approximately 850,000 hectares of land, producing an average of 9 million sacks per year. Around 70% of those families farm less than 1.5 hectares – which means the Colombian coffee industry, for all its scale and infrastructure, is fundamentally built on smallholders.
That's worth keeping in mind when you're drinking it.
Interested in trying some? Browse our current Colombian coffees – we always have something worth drinking from this origin.