Producer Info
San Agustín, Huila, Colombia | 1950 masl | Supremo Washed
We are William, Colombian, and Laura, French. We have been working in specialty coffee sourcing for 15 years. In 2024, we took the leap by purchasing a coffee farm in William’s home region of Huila. Our vision is to produce coffee within a self-sustaining ecosystem without relying on agrochemical products.
Our farm, El Micelio, covers 7 hectares. Four hectares consist of primary forest, and the remaining three hectares are agricultural land. Of these three hectares, one was already planted with coffee trees at the time of purchase, while the other two were left fallow.
On the three hectares of agricultural land, our goal is to restore the soil’s health and natural fertility. We aim to grow coffee without agrochemical products (no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides). To achieve this, it is essential to reestablish the natural nutrient cycle, meaning that plants can naturally access the minerals they need.
The natural nutrient cycle is a process in which the elements necessary for plants circulate between the soil, plants, animals, microorganisms, and the air, allowing ecosystems to sustain themselves. To grow crops without chemical fertilizers, this cycle must be restored by ensuring sufficient microorganisms and organic matter in the soil. Microorganisms break down the organic matter provided by plants, and during this decomposition they release the minerals that plants need. It is a perfect symbiosis.
Plants absorb minerals such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are made available by soil microorganisms. Therefore, to ensure a good supply of minerals, it is essential to maintain a high level of microbial diversity. At El Micelio, we use the leaf litter from our primary forest to multiply indigenous microorganisms and propagate them on our farm.
Micelio means mycelium. Mycelium is the network of fungal filaments that forms the vegetative structure of fungi. It hhas many functions:
In nature, organic matter mainly comes from living plants, which release root exudates that feed microorganisms. Each plant produces different organic molecules. Therefore, if we want to maintain both the quantity and diversity of microorganisms, it is crucial to have a variety of plants.
This is why we have begun reforesting El Micelio with local trees (cachingo, chachafruto, guayacán, plantain, cassava, guamo, tree tomato, lulo, etc.), and we allow a diverse ground cover to grow that permanently protects the soil.
The coffee that was already planted on the farm before our arrival benefits from these soil regeneration practices and has not received any chemical products for the past 20 months. It is a mix of varieties planted by the previous owners: Papayo, Supremo, and Castillo. We harvest every 4 to 6 weeks, and the post-harvest processing is washed, including a (aerobic) fermentation lasting 48 to 72 hours.
