Our latest Colombian decaf coffee comes to us from the Cooperativa de Caficultores de Manizales which was founded in 1960 and a part of the coffee community in the region of Caldas. Located in part of the renowned Coffee Triangle, the cooperative was created to support local coffee growers by improving market access, strengthening livelihoods, and promoting collective action.
The cooperative helps farmers secure better prices, attain fair trade certifications, and access technical training, financial services, and sustainability programs. These services improve members’ economic stability and enhance community well-being. Sustainability is central to its mission. The cooperative encourages organic farming, reduces pesticide use, and supports water conservation, biodiversity, and renewable energy. It also invests in social initiatives, including education, healthcare, and fair labor practices, to improve living standards in coffee-growing communities.
Each farm produces its own levels of volume and types of varieties, and the main varieties grown are Castillo, Caturra, and Supremo. Most of the members of the association process their coffees using traditional washed processing practices; 16 hours fermentation followed by sun-drying for 15 days.
The Sugar Cane EA Decaffeination method
Sugar cane decaffeination is often termed as a natural process decaf. Ethyl Acetate is an organically existing compound (C4H8O2) and by-product found most commonly in the fermentation of fruits, and is present in both ripe bananas and beer for example.
The DESCAFECOL decaffeination plant in Manizales uses water from the Navado del Ruis (a volcano between Caldas and Tolima) and natural ethyl acetate from fermented sugarcane sourced in the southern region of Palmira, Colombia. This process begins with steaming of the coffee, increasing its porosity, beginning the hydrolysis of caffeine, which is usually bonded to salts and chlorogenic acids in the bean.
The beans are then submerged in an ethyl acetate solution until 97% of the caffeine is removed. A final steam is then used to lift residual traces of the compound. The ultimate residue which remains is ≤30 ppm, which is a level dramatically less than that of a banana!