Vargem Grande Estate (Central and South America)
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In the first ever Colombia Cup of Excellence competition in February of 2005, fifty percent of the winners were from the Huila region, the southernmost in the country. The little town of Pitalito is nestled in an alpine valley where the weather is mild year round. The nearest airport is a three hour drive.
Personal dedication is the hallmark of the Vargem Grande Estate, a small farm where many generations of the Contini family have lived and worked. A typical farm for the cultivation of coffee at altitude in the region the High Frontier Mogiana – South Minas, it allies traditional coffee growing with state-of-the-art processing techniques: ecological pulping systems, drying on patio and in mechanical driers, silos for warehousing and milling on the farm. This combination guarantees the quality of the beans produced at Vargem Grande. The estate is endowed with mountain water springs that are surrounded by protected native vegetation and supply all the farm’s needs. Vargem Grande pulped natural coffees are washed with crystal clear spring water.
The High Frontier Mogiana – South Minas is Brazil’s most traditional area for coffee growing at altitude. The coffees produced in this region have achieved international recognition for their high quality and outstanding characteristics: body, acidity, fruity aroma and softness. Favorable high altitude climate, varieties selected for their quality, sustainable agricultural practices, careful control of the critical processing steps and, most important, the personal attention of the family members, all of whom live on the farm, interact to produce wonderful coffees. In the 2001 Cup of Excellence contest, one of the selected coffees, a pulped natural lot, was produced by Vargem Grande Estate.
The province of Huila is one of Colombia’s most naturally blessed coffee growing regions. This district is located in the heart of the Andean Mountains, between the Eastern and Central ‘Cordilleras’, where three of Colombia’s most important rivers are born: Magdalena, Cauca, and Caqueta. During the 15th century, Spanish missionaries found their way up the Magdalena River, founding colonies of great historic significance. With them came the Jesuit priests who planted the first coffee trees in this privileged region. Coffee farming in this remote region is now an art form. Farmers have adopted unique growing and processing techniques through generations. Each farmer, being conscious that a special care in the processing of the cherries will represent an additional income for the family will exert himself to do his best in the preparation of his parchment.
Coffee from approximately 170 small farms averaging less than 4 acres each is processed at a central mill. The mill also provides agronomical services and soil testing for the member farms during the growing season. Only ripe beans from selected farms are processed here. They are dried on patios, rested in wooden silos and finally trucked north through the mountains to become our exclusive San Agustin coffee. Several of the winning farms contributed to this shade grown, high altitude, perfectly processed coffee, whose proof is in the smooth, rich, sweet cup.