THE CAUCA REGION: COFFEE, COURAGE AND HOPE

Fabian, his family and us holding coca branches as symbol of change

We have just returned from a four-month journey across Colombia, visiting some of the country's most remarkable and resilient coffee growing communities.

One of the highlights was returning to Cauca, a beautiful mountainous region in southern Colombia, close to Ecuador and part of the Macizo Colombiano, where the Andes split into three mountain ranges.  Reaching Cauca is no small feat. From Bogotá, it took us 12 hours by bus to Popayán and another hour to El Tambo.  Here we met Fabian who pick us up to his house in corregimiento de La Uribe. You might have tried coffee from Fabian's finca if you tried Tabi from the summer of 2025.

We arrived excited to enjoy one of the region's most famous delicacies: Tamales de Pipián, often considered the finest tamales in Latin America.  Unfortunately, at Restaurante “El Punto del Tamal” the owner explained to us that these days everyone is collecting coca leaves so there are no hands available for collecting banana leaves, the key wrapping for Tamales -a reminder of the complex realities facing rural communities in the region.

BEYOND THE STEREOTYPES

For many Colombians living in the country's main cities, Cauca is often associated with conflict. Yet the reality we experienced could not be more different.

The coffee farmers we met were among the warmest, kindest and most welcoming people we have encountered anywhere in Colombia.  They simply want the opportunity to live in peace, grow their crops and provide for their families.

Many rural communities in Cauca have faced decades of isolation, limited state presence and ongoing security challenges.  In places such as La Uribe, near El Tambo, basic services remain scarce, and communities often rely on churches, NGOs and the FARC Dissidents to fill the gaps.

PRESSURES ON THE LAND

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLKBL707BEQ

Pine plantations owned by Irish multinational

The challenges facing Cauca's communities go beyond conflict.

For decades, indigenous Nasa communities and small farmers have raised concerns about the expansion of industrial forestry plantations operated by Cartón Colombia, owned by Irish multinational Smurfit WestRock.  Local leaders argue that the replacement of native ancestral forests with imported commercial pine and eucalyptus plantations has reduced water availability, degraded soils and increased pressure on small farming communities.

Many coffee growing families feel squeezed from different directions: the war between the FARC dissidents and the state, limited infrastructure, insecurity, economic hardship and growing competition for land.  The deforestation caused by those imported trees has caused land erosion leading to more coffee farmers selling their land facilitating more land at cheap prices for the multinational.

Yet despite these challenges, many families continue to resist, choosing to remain on their land and invest in coffee as a sustainable future for the next generation.

CHOOSING COFFEE OVER COCA

Fabian’s mother-in-law and proud coffee producer

Coffee farmers in Cauca face enormous challenges.  Poor infrastructure, difficult transport routes and insecurity make it hard to get coffee to market.  At the same time, coca cultivation often appears to offer a quicker financial return.  Cocaine demand in countries like US or the UK keeps growing and therefore it keeps bringing huge money to the FARC dissidents who run the business.  

The FARC dissidents require the locals to produce Coca paste for them.  A coca plant can produce leaves within six months, while coffee requires three to four years of patience before the first harvest.  For many families, choosing coffee is not simply an agricultural decision -it is a commitment to a different future.

During our visit, we met one of the people helping to lead that change: Fabian Olarte.

Fabian and his wife Lizet are proud coffee producers and community leaders.  Fabian told us how local families came together and made a courageous decision to move away from coca production and invest instead in specialty coffee.

Their vision is simple: create opportunities for future generations through honest work, education and sustainable agriculture.

WHY YOUR SUPPORT MATTERS

The UK coffee market is worth billions of pounds every year.  Every bag of coffee purchased has the power to influence where that value goes.

When you choose coffee from Cauca, you are supporting families who have chosen a more difficult but more sustainable path.  You are helping create opportunities in communities that have endured decades of conflict and hardship.

We invite you to discover our Cauca coffees and meet the people behind them.