Edwin Noreña – Turning coffee tradition into innovation

Angela Capogna

Angela Capogna

People

Finca Campo Hermoso is a 25-hectare farm in Circasia, in the well-known coffee production region of Quindio, Colombia. It sits at an elevation rage between 1750-1900 m.a.s.l. but clearly stands out with its one-of-a-kind experimental Bourbon and Caturra coffees. Edwin Noreña is the designer behind it. Being a 4th generation farmer with a passion for innovation, Edwin is producing one of the most interesting profiles and turning the coffee tradition into something Quindio has not seen yet.

Edwin Noreña has dedicated 20 years of his life so far to producing coffee, out of which 10 have been focused on studying and experimenting with specialty coffee. And it shows. Thanks to the high quality and distinctive processing methods, Edwin’s coffees have been part of contests for many years, all over the world. 

Edwin is not only a coffee farmer. In addition, he holds positions as an international coffee processing consultant, Q-grader, Q processing expert, and head judge for the Colombian Cup of Excellence competition. Moreover, he also collects and processes coffee from other smallholder farmers around. 

The collaboration with Edwin is one of the most exciting. In January 2023, we had the pleasure to visit his farm and cup a lot of interesting profiles with his him and his collaborator. The Coffee Quest is happy to see excitement and wonder among the team and our clients when cupping Edwin’s coffee. Read more below to learn more about his infusion process.

Product

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Edwin Noreña has developed a different processing technique for each cup profile he developed at Finca Campo Hermoso. All profiles we are importing this season, follow the same process and include 2 fermentations and an infusion technique. When telling us about how and why he started his process, he said he was inspired by the craft beer industry. In short, he adds certain compounds to the fermentation tanks (such as different types of hops or dehydrated fruits) that that will generate additional flavours. The result is their distinctive profiles. 

Edwin chooses only cherries above 23 degrees Brix and places them in 30kg plastic bags for 24h. The initial fermentation has already started and continues with a carbonic maceration with mosto (the juice made by compressing coffee cherries) for 72h in a big tank. The generated liquid that he collects through a valve is used for his infusion process. After de-pulping, he moves the cherries to smaller tanks with the liquid and other additional compounds, such as: 

  • Mosto 
  • Dehydrated fruits
  • Fruit juice
  • Mosto from grapes 

The coffee is then sun-dried on African beds for 25 days until the humidity reaches 10.5%. Finally, the coffee undergoes humidity stabilization for 8 days inside a warehouse, and is then stored in grain pro bags. 

The Coffee Quest is proud to be working with ambitious people like Edwin Noreña. We are striving to build mutually beneficial relationships with partners who are interested in this project (and others). Together, we can work to build a truly sustainable value chain and scale exceptional products like this.

Price

For many producers, growing coffee is an essential part of their lives. That’s especially true for the so-called “coffee triangle”, of which the region of Quindo is a part. However, having the tools and knowledge to modernize and improve coffee production is not so common. Therefore, encouraging innovation, such as Noreña’s experimental processing,  and supporting the improvement of the farmers’ livelihoods, is a cornerstone to building a healthy and happy coffee community not just there, but worldwide. The Coffee Quest is proud to be part of this mission.

Planet

Edwin Noreña’s approach differs from most traditional coffee farmers. First off, usually, producers use about 20 to 40 litres of water for every Kg of dry coffee obtain (parchment coffee). His method does not involve the intervention of water. Moreover, he uses the coffee husk (cascara) as organic compost (liquid and solid) and fertilizer. Finally, by the end of the first quarter of 2023, Edwin hopes to switch to solar energy for the whole coffee processing plant. 

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