Our relationship with Lizardo is facilitated by our partners at the LaREB collective.

COLOMBIA

Lizardo Herrera

One of our favourite lots from Colombia over the past few harvests, we’re excited to share Lizardo Herrera’s coffee again this year. We are always able to find the distinct ripe fruit and aromatic character of Lizardo’s lots on the cupping table with our partners from LaREB, and were able to do so again at their new headquarters in Pereira during our visit in November 2021. Lizardo has been aiming to produce very high quality coffee for some time, but also has a vision for the sustainability of his farm. He is a certified beekeeper, and keeps several hives on the farm to produce honey for export.

This program ensures a well planned ecosystem on the farm; most widely used pesticides are harmful to bee populations, and the plants are of course kept well pollinated. Shade is also required for the bees, just like coffee. Many of the shade trees at Lizardo’s farm are over 50 years old, and date back to his grandfather purchased the land. It is quite a normal practice to completely clear the land before planting coffee, in fact it is advised by the Colombian coffee producer’s federation, the FNC. Lizardo’s grandfather however had the foresight to understand the value of these trees, both for biodiversity and shade. Lizardo’s father then took over the farm, and ran it while maintaining his business as a compost producer. He took on large amounts of organic agricultural waste from around Palestina, and created compost which he then sold on. Lizardo has distilled all of this experience into what he does on the farm today, using very minimal chemical inputs, and using his bee population and a high level of biodiversity to ensure healthy plants.