Catatumbo Coffee Growers’ Cooperative / Catatumbo Regional

The Catatumbo Coffee Grower’s Cooperative, based in Norte de Santander, unites 2,400 producers who grow nearly half of the region’s coffee. Beyond a commercial alliance, it’s a support network offering fair prices, low-interest loans, farming supplies, and educational programs for members, their families, and the broader community.

The coffee cooperative in the department of Norte de Santander began its operations on March 22, 1980, starting its expansion through local coffee purchases within the department and eventually adopting the name Cooperativa de Caficultores del Catatumbo. In total, it collects coffee from 25 municipalities and five districts.

The participation of a cooperative within a community allows for meaningful impacts such as quality control, innovation, technical assistance, social investment, education, training, and guaranteed purchasing.

We had the opportunity to visit the Catatumbo Coffee Producers Cooperative in July 2025, where we met 12 representatives from each municipality. These leaders are responsible for supporting, guiding, and proposing valuable initiatives for their communities while maintaining close communication with producers.

Through our conversations, we understood how important it is to share the story of their coffee and highlight the joy of working together as a community. Their coffee this year has shown great consistency, and we feel proud to represent their work.

Norte de Santander has often been recognized for reasons other than coffee, which is why we visited two producers who are part of the cooperative — to understand their daily reality, their approach to coffee production, and their shared goals for the future.

Our first visit was to Eilen Andrés Gallardo, a third-generation coffee producer whose farm, Sumerin, is located in Pueblo Nuevo, at altitudes ranging from 1,100 to 1,600 MASL. Over generations, from his father to himself, they have improved processes with a focus on quality. The varieties grown on Finca Sumerin include Castillo, Cenicafé, Tabi, Maragogype, and Bourbon. Fermentation times in this region range from 12 to 24 hours, allowing each variety to develop its own distinctive flavor profile.

Another farm supplying the cooperative is La Laguna, a neighbor of Sumerin, also located at the same altitude. Here, we found varieties such as Castillo, Gesha, Bourbon, Cenicafé, Maragogype, and Tabi. Fernanda, a fourth-generation coffee producer, is innovating through processing techniques and believes that achieving quality requires understanding the ecosystem and using available tools to enhance each coffee profile.

These farms offered us a close look at the coffee culture in Norte de Santander. The cooperative serves as a bridge — fostering connection, direct collaboration with producers, and a strong commitment to good practices in every farm and region where coffee from Norte de Santander is grown.