Our partnership with the producers of La Golondrina began more than fifteen years ago. In 2005, a group of producers in Cauca, led by community organizers Nelson Melo and Liliana Pabón, formed the Orgánica cooperative. The cooperative sought recognition for their high-quality, organic coffee and to foster a shared commitment to accountability in production.
Coffee exporter Carvela introduced us to Orgánica in 2007, sparking the relationship responsible for our most popular single-origin: La Golondrina.. The consistent quality of La Golondrina is a testament to the perseverance and dedication of all parties involved in this value chain.
Orgánica's is located in Cauca, southwestern Colombia, scattered across the villages of Timbio, Guayabal, and Piendamó. The members’ farms range in size from one to 20 hectares. Through their commitment to producing high-quality, certified-organic coffee, the growers of La Golondrina deviate from the conventional focus on volume and productivity commonly associated with Colombian coffee production.
Orgánica translates to "organic" in English. We thought this might be a confusing name for a coffee, so, together with the coffee producers, we came up with a different one. We landed on "La Golondrina"—Spanish for the swallow bird—an icon that symbolizes the ability to cross frontiers and connect with others.