In 2012, the global humanitarian organization Catholic Relief Services (CRS) set out to connect coffee growers in Nariño, Colombia with the burgeoning specialty coffee market. Counter Culture was enlisted to serve on the advisory board of this project, supporting the creation of these new value streams. Before the project, most producers sold their coffee for minimal premiums to two exporters working on behalf of two large buyers. Through the project, producers banded together in associations to sell coffee to quality-focused buyers. In doing so, they created a new business model previously unseen in the region.
It was coffee grown near the town of La Florida that initially attracted our attention when tasting coffees around Nariño. The producers of these coffees went on to form the ASPROCAES association, which today is made up of 438 families. Counter Culture has purchased coffees from the association since its inception in 2012 and has funded multiple Seeds grants to establish plant nurseries and apiaries.
Urcunina is the name indigenous Quillasingas people call the Galeras volcano, a prominent landmark in La Florida. Urcunina translates to "Montaña de Fuego'' or “fire mountain.” The farmers in ASPROCAES chose Urcunina as a brand for their coffee in order to distinguish it from other coffees in the region.
