Episode 57 - Finca El Suelo: A Year Under the Biofilia Project

In this episode, I sit down with Yurany, the farm manager at Finca El Suelo in Colombia, and the daughter of Elias and Bellanid at Finca Tamana. We reflect on a year of farming under the Biofilia Project and discuss the challenges and progress of managing the farm using 100% biological techniques, without synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and fungicides . The year brought extreme drought and intense sunlight, highlighting the importance of shade trees for protecting coffee plants and soil. We also discuss the difficulties of establishing new Sudan Rumé coffee trees and the use of biological inputs such as compost, biochar, and soil drenches to improve soil health and plant resilience. Despite the challenges, the coffee quality has been very encouraging. Around 120+ samples from Finca Tamana and Finca el Suelo were cupped, ranging between 84 and 88 points, with clean, fruity, juicy and sweet profiles. Looking ahead, we discuss the importance of establishing shade before planting new coffee, as well as the farm’s new partnership with a new exporter named A Coffee Family, to improve milling, quality control, and shipping to Norway.   Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.