The farm

The team at CENCOIC Co-Operative have always been incredible to work with. Founded with a link to CRIC, the local community police force in the Cauca Department in the south of Colombia, they’re committed to improving the safety and prosperity of the area after years of guerilla fighting created by the international drug trade.

La Laguna is a collection of twelve families and their individual farms, called collectively the ‘Manantial Association’. Each family looks after their own smallholder farm, including picking, pulping and drying, before grouping together the entire harvest into the Laguna we know and love. 

Unlike other farms in the surrounding areas, Laguna is grown almost entirely under shade. Farmers are also strongly encouraged to produce their own fertiliser from natural materials.

The varietals are typical of Colombia as a whole, except for the very special F6 - this is created by selectively breeding the absolute best and biggest Castillo cherries at their peak of six years, for six generations. All coffee is washed, fermented and dried by each farmer, with generally an 18-hour fermentation stage dependent on heat, and then dried for around 15-25 days. We feel very lucky to work so closely with not just an outstanding farm, but a brilliant cause, too.

What our team says

"Laguna in a flat white; full maple syrup dipped raspberries. Not only does this hit every single sensory top note, but its clean cup and freshness are second to none. A real bobby dazzler!" - Matt 

"Exactly what you want from a Colombian - lovely upfront gooseberry acidity, beautifully sweet and smooth body and an incredibly long finish! Favourite is definitely as a flat white with some brilliant unhomogenised milk, which makes it taste like white chocolate." James 

"Easy going, very smooth and creamy, and the taste of fruit pastilles coming through are divine!" Heather