Coffee · 12 October 2026 · 6 min
A short guide to Colombia’s coffee regions
Huila, Nariño, Cauca, Tolima, the Eje Cafetero and the Sierra Nevada — what makes each origin taste the way it does.
Colombia grows arabica almost exclusively, nearly all of it washed, across a long spine of mountains close to the equator. Because the country straddles the equator, different regions harvest at different times of year — which is one reason Colombian coffee is available fresh almost year-round.
Huila
The south-western department of Huila has become the heartland of Colombian specialty coffee. Smallholder farms at 1,500–2,000 metres produce cups with bright acidity, red fruit and a caramel sweetness. If you have tasted a competition-winning Colombian lot in the last decade, there is a good chance it came from here.
Nariño
Further south, on the border with Ecuador, Nariño grows coffee at some of the highest altitudes in the country. Proximity to the equator means the sun is intense even at 2,000 metres and above; the beans mature slowly and develop concentrated sweetness and citrus-like acidity.
Cauca and Tolima
Cauca, with its volcanic soils around Popayán, and Tolima, in the central range, both produce clean, balanced coffees that have gained recognition as more farms move into specialty production.
The Eje Cafetero
Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda — the "coffee axis" recognised by UNESCO as a cultural landscape — are the picture-postcard Colombia of wax palms and red-roofed fincas. Coffees here tend to be rounded and chocolatey, with gentle acidity.
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
On the Caribbean coast, an isolated mountain range rises straight from the sea. Coffee from the Sierra Nevada, much of it grown by indigenous communities, is typically fuller-bodied with a softer, nutty profile.
Every bag we sell will state the farm or association, the altitude, the variety and the process — because those four things tell you more than a brand name ever will.
How we will source
We intend to buy from farms and cooperatives directly or through exporters who publish the price paid to the grower, roast close to our customers in Europe, and ship within days of roasting. Our first origins will be announced when our producer partnerships are confirmed.
