Colombia El Triunfo

ASOPEP Collective

ASOPEP was founded in 2013 and it currently has 167 members- significantly more than any other association in Tolima. It is also the only cooperative with the complete coffee infrastructure to manage the entirety of processing, quality control, transportation and commercialisation.

General manager Camilo Enciso has created a relationship between several of the cooperatives in the Planadas region- which has created greater market visibility for the Association and has also increased their presence at trade shows and coffee events around the country.

In the past the organisation has encountered problems accessing financing due to the history of violence that once plagued the Tolima region, creating the impression of a hostile place for investors and moneylenders. ASOPEP has had to work ardently against these perceptions, by building a new reputation based on quality, reliability and transparency.

ASOPEP also take an innovative approach to environmental and global agricultural issues as well as their own in house marketing and production processes. This includes running a rewards program for their members upon producing high end microlots.

Cultivation & Processing

The small, family-owned farm is rich with different varieties of trees such as Guomo, Carbonero, Plantain and Guadua, all acting as a natural canopy for this unique Microlot. Other varieties of coffee are also grown on the farm such as Castillo, Cattura, Bourbon and Tabi. Once mature enough, the beans are collected by variety and they are then rafted (sieved) to remove any dry beans and branches, before being washed and dry pulped after 24 hours.

The pulped beans are then stored in grainpro bags for 144 hours, a single rinse is made with very little water, and they are dried on canopies for 15 – 20 days