Description
Santa Barbara – Colombia
The story of Santa Barbara – Colombia It forms part of one of the most enduring chapters in Antioquia's coffee history. Its origins date back to the beginning of the 20th century, when Don Alejandro Ángel, a pioneer in the sector, committed to exporting Colombian coffee at a time when few outside the country believed in its quality. He succeeded in opening markets in Europe and the United States, changing the perception of Colombian Arabica and becoming one of the leading exporters of his era. Decades later, that intuition and expertise found continuity in Pedro Echevarría, married to one of Don Alejandro's daughters, who decided to start his own coffee project and set his sights on a specific location: Santa Bárbara.
Origin and development of the project
When Pedro Echevarría began cultivating coffee, he understood that the choice of land would determine everything else. After traveling through different areas of Colombia, he settled on the Santa Bárbara region, in southern Antioquia, an area with volcanic soils, strong temperature contrasts, and a microclimate influenced by the Cauca River valley. This combination allowed for something very valuable: slow ripening and plants that could withstand higher altitudes without suffering from the cold nights of the Andes.
The initial farm was modest, but over the years it grew into a large-scale project. Today, Santa Bárbara encompasses around 350 hectares and operates under a family business model: Pedro Echevarría works alongside his sons Nicolás, Camilo, and Pedro Miguel, and coordinates a large team of employees who maintain a focus on quality and continuous improvement.
Production, microclimate and process control
The coffee of Santa Barbara – Colombia It is cultivated at an altitude of around 1,650 meters. The combination of altitude, soils rich in volcanic material, and the heat from the valley creates a unique environment where the cherries ripen slowly and develop greater density. Harvesting requires a high level of precision; therefore, pickers are encouraged to select only ripe fruit, a detail that directly influences the consistency of the final product.
The company has been incorporating controlled fermentation techniques for years. pH and temperature are recorded for each batch, and different fermentation phases are tested both before and after pulping. This has led to proprietary protocols, developed after dozens of internal trials, that aim to maximize coffee purity and stability.
In addition to managing cultivation and fermentation, Santa Bárbara has its own warehouse and dry mill. The entire process—from the plant to the threshing prior to export—is managed within the same family structure, guaranteeing complete traceability and exhaustive control at every stage.
