Alirio Aguilera Huila FW

Alirio has been producing coffee for more than 35 years. His coffee is legendary in the region and won first place at the 2013 Cup of Excellence.

The road to Finca San Isidro is lined with orange trees. These abundant fruit trees provide shade for growing coffee and, combined with the rolling hills of the farm, provide a spectacular view. Their house itself is another beauty. Alirio and his wife have painted their house with murals that depict local folklore and scenes of daily life.

Finca San Isidro is rich in native plants and animals. Fruit trees provide shade for growing coffee trees. The farm is near Pitalito, a major coffee hub in Colombia. This region of Huila is renowned for having an ideal microclimate for coffee production.

Alirio selectively handpicks ripe, red cherry and processes it on his farm. Once picked, he pulps cherry and ferments it in water for 36 hours. After washing parchment, Alirio lays it on elvas, drying space on the roof of his house, to sundry. He rakes parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 10 to 15 days for parchment to dry.

The Huila region is one of the most well-known coffee growing areas of Colombia. The Department of Huila has a population of 1.125 million and is located in the southwest of the country. The capital of the department is Neiva, a city of about 380,000.  

Along with Cauca and Nariño, Huila is one the three departments where the Colombian Massif is located. A massif is a group of mountain ranges and the Colombian Massif, which is known locally as Nudo de Almaguer, provides up to 70% of safe drinking and agricultural water for the Colombian population. 

The Magdalena River, Colombia’s largest river, runs through the region, providing plenty of water for coffee farming and generating (directly and indirectly) up to 86% of Colombia's GDP. The mountain range also features the fertile volcanic soil so typical to the Andean Mountains.