EDWIN NORENA, QUINDIO DEPARTMENT, AND FINCA CAMPO HERMOSO

QUINDIO DEPARTMENT

Quindío is one of Colombia’s most naturally productive coffee regions, although it receives less attention than others. It is the second-smallest department in the country by area, representing about 0.2 percent of national territory. It sits on the central cordillera of the Andes and lies between Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali. This location produces high volumes of tourism, coffee-related business activity, and domestic travel. The region is known for brightly painted mountain towns, natural reserves, and high elevation tropical landscapes. Nearly the entire department is mountainous. Even its lowest elevations exceed 1000 meters, and many areas are densely planted with coffee across farms of all sizes.

FINCA CAMPO HERMOSO

Finca Campo Hermoso is a 15 hectare farm outside Circasia, several kilometers north of Armenia, the capital of Quindío. The farm is owned by Edwin Noreña, who trained as an agroindustrial engineer and completed graduate studies in biotechnology. Edwin is a highly connected and ambitious producer who works to match specific cultivars with specific processing approaches to produce coffees that show distinctive and memorable characteristics. The farm grows a wide variety of coffee genetics, including pink bourbon, yellow bourbon, yellow caturra, bourbon sidra, gesha, and Cenicafé 1, a rust resistant hybrid developed by Colombia’s national coffee research institute. Many of Edwin’s coffees are released under his El Alquimista brand, which has appeared in barista competitions and in the menus of selective roasters worldwide, including Royal Coffee’s inventory each year.

EDWIN NORENA

Edwin has always been interested in the fermentation stage because of its ability to transform raw coffee seeds into highly specific sensory experiences. One key insight for him was recognizing that the sugary liquid produced during fruit fermentation, known as must in winemaking, could be reused in later fermentations. It provides natural sugars and functions as a solvent for flavoring agents. Over time he has co fermented with chilis, ginger, brewers hops, and dehydrated fruit to create distinctive profiles in his microlots.