Tolima

Tolima, on the eastern slopes of Colombia's Central Cordillera, was for years difficult to reach and develop because of the country's internal armed conflict, which left many growing areas isolated well into the 2000s. As security improved, organisations and cooperatives helped reconnect thousands of Tolima smallholders — many farming under two hectares between 1,400 and 2,100 metres — to specialty markets. The coffees, mostly washed Caturra, Castillo, Colombia and Tabi, are clean and sweet with red apple, caramel, and balanced acidity. Tolima's story is closely tied to Colombia's post-conflict rural recovery and the spread of traceable smallholder coffee.