Practices

Labour Practices

Everyone working in La Lomita has been with us for decades. They have permanent contracts, receive full legal benefits, social security cover, as well as performance bonuses. Their salaries are 38% over the Colombian legal minimum wage. Additionally, we provide free accommodation and access to public services for them and their families. During harvest time our pickers are paid 10% over the average rate, and bonuses are awarded based on quality of picked beans.

Environmental Practices

We love nature and we are constantly working on minimizing any negative impact that our operations can have on the environment.

Water

Our methods of fermentation and washing are key to achieve the traditional mild Colombian flavour. Although we are fully aware of the inherited high water consumption that this process entails. For this reason we decided to invest in new equipment that does not use any water during the pulp removal process. The water used in the fermentation and cleaning process is collected in tanks. This water is then sprayed as fertilizer for the grass used to feed our working horses. Finally, the waste water from human sources is carefully disposed into septic systems, thus, ensuring that there is zero pollution of the ravines.

Soil

The farm has naturally clayey acid soil, and, thus, we treat it with Thomas Slag for pH control and better nutrient absorption. To identify the chemical needs of our soil, we regularly undertake soil studies. Therefore, at the time of fertilizing, we use the minimum amount of chemical components needed, preventing the leaching of fertilizers into water sources. We complement these practices with the usage of organic, in-house produced, fertilizers. In particular, we collect the horse waste and solid leftover from the coffee and use it to produce humus soil through vermiculture. This in its turn helps to further reduce the need for chemical fertilizing.

Pest and Weed Control

Due to our plants resistance to rust, our main concern in this field is the coffee berry borer. True to our policy of zero usage of insecticides, we control the borer through constant re-picking in conjunction with the usage of homemade traps and the spraying with Beauveria-bassiana. Additionally we control our weeds entirely by mechanical means with zero use of herbicides.

Native Flora and Fauna

Hunting and tree felling is absolutely forbidden. We cover our small needs for wood from naturally fallen trees. We use guamo for shading among other native trees. The guamo fruits in their turn encourage the population of native birds and small mammals. We constantly delight ourselves with the sighting of armadillos, squirrels, iguanas, foxes, wild parrots, and all sorts of colourful insects and birds, among many other indigenous species.