We’ve been working with coffees from Aponte since 2020, and this year marks a special step forward, our first lots separated by individual producers. This coffee is honey processed resulting in a full-bodied cup with notes of strawberry and a candy-like sweetness.
We’ve had the pleasure of visiting Israel twice, most recently when Błażej and Stefan returned to Aponte and witnessed significant improvements on the farm. Later this year, we’ll also release a washed Caturra from Israel.
Beyond his work as a producer, Israel plays a key role in representing Aponte’s coffee culture, travelling to Europe and sharing the story of his community in Nariño. Grown at high altitudes in the misty páramo landscape, these coffees develop remarkable clarity and depth. The community has been pioneering honey processing since 2017, an approach that reduces water use while enhancing sweetness and complexity.
Aponte is an indigenous reserve, where coffee cultivation is deeply connected to the land and its natural rhythms. Farming here supports biodiversity while preserving a fragile ecosystem.
At the heart of this coffee is the Inga community. Through coffee production, they have built sustainable livelihoods, strengthened local cooperation, and preserved their cultural identity. Working collectively, they continue to shape a future rooted in tradition, autonomy, and care for both people and place.
