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Juan Pablo, owner of Hacienda Valencia, shares his passion, knowledge, and vision for the coffee industry in an immersive farm tour.
Coffee blooms twice a year to produce berries, which are picked then dried and eventually become our favorite luxury drink.
A young coffee plant: Propagation and management of coffee plants is a year round endeavor of intense pruning and care.
In addition to coffee, Hacienda Venecia plants bananas and plantains as a way to diversify income for the farm and to provide a nutritious snack for coffee pickers during harvest.
Dylan Haas examines a thriving coffee plant loaded with berries.
Fellows tour the coffee fields of Hacienda Vanecia. Juan Pablo (owner) answers questions about all phases of production and management from labor to technology and logistics. Pictured: Austin Benes, Stephanie Nelson
Juan discusses the pros and cons of mechanical versus manual harvesting of coffee berries with LEAD 40. Pictured: Mitch Oswald, David Moss, and Stephanie Nelson.
Hacienda Venecia maintains their coffee trees by using effective pruning to help increase the plant’s productivity over its lifetime. Pictured Logan Sheets and Abe Smith with owner Juan.
Alternative transportation. LEAD fellows hop on a Jeep for a time saving ride out of the fields.
Juan demonstrates how to pull a coffee sample. Colombian producers grow, pick, and dry the coffee beans to parchment phase before exporting to roasteries to complete the selling process.
Mitch Oswald and Blake Wohlers examine coffee beans in the “parchment” phase. These beans are ready to be sent to the final buyer who will then roast them and get them to your coffee cup.
Fellow Rachel Prosser poses with bagged products at the mill.
The art of roasting: Juan Pablo transitions from discussing the growing and milling of coffee to sharing his expertise in roasting coffee beans.
Eric Coufal samples freshly roasted coffee beans while touring Hacienda Venecia.
Not everyone was excited about our visit. The local chickens were not happy to share their evening roost.
Rum! Hacienda Venecia also produces rum onsite. Distilled from locally produced sugarcane, the rum is aged for 3-years on new Colombian oak barrels.
The man behind the curtain: Kurtis Harms works his magic to create our video updates during the International Study/Travel Seminar.