Colombia Carlos Efrain Cortez

At over 1,900 meters above sea level, in the misty hills of Tasnaque in Nariño, Colombia, lies Finca Santa Ana, a three-hectare farm planted with over 14,000 Castillo trees and a handful of Caturra. It belongs to Carlos Efraín Cortés, the patriarch of a multigenerational coffee-growing family deeply rooted in the municipality of Yacuanquer. Don Carlos speaks with quiet wisdom, choosing his words as carefully as he tends his land. He and his wife, Doña Paulina Rubiola Santacruz Lasso, have been married for nearly 40 years and have raised their family within the rhythms of rural farm life—coffee harvests, vegetable gardens, and cattle raising. Together, they’ve built a home that also serves as a local buying station for Café Occidente, a regional cooperative that we’ve proudly partnered with for years. Carlos’ son, Carlos Esteban, also plays a key role in the family operation—both as a producer and as the fiel de compra for the coop. During the main harvest (April through July), the family opens their home every Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday to neighbors who bring their cherry to sell. On their own farms, Don Carlos and Carlos Esteban manage several plots throughout Tasnaque, but this particular lot comes from Santa Ana, named after Carlos’ youngest daughter, Ana Maria. Harvest is a family affair. Ana and her sister Yenny return home during the season to work as pickers on their father’s land. At peak collection, the Cortés family hires up to 20 local workers, reinforcing the community's shared commitment to quality and livelihood. Processing is handled either by Don Carlos or Carlos Esteban. The cherries for this lot were fermented for 8 to 25 hours in tanks behind the family home before being washed and laid out to dry on raised parabolic beds for 8 to 10 days. The result is a dynamic and expressive cup—one that speaks to both the altitude and the intention behind every stage of production. Beyond coffee, the Cortés family cultivates beans and cherimoyas, and raises cattle—a true portrait of rural Colombian sustainability. We’ve been lucky to visit their home many times, always welcomed with open arms and home-cooked meals made with ingredients from their garden. This is the kind of partnership we seek out at Metric—honest, hardworking producers who steward their land with humility, generosity, and vision. We’re proud to offer this coffee and to share the story of the Cortés family with you