Metropolis has been purchasing coffee from the Gomez family every year since 2016. Finca La Argentina is owned and managed by Isuara Martinez, her four grown children, and their families. Each of the siblings and Isuara tend to a plot, live in their own houses around the property, and manage the farm collectively. At 2000 meters above sea level, the 6-hectares of farmland is nestled into the side and atop a mountain and is a great example of how specialty coffee is often produced in Colombia: on small plots that are owned and managed by one family. All the coffees from La Argentina are harvested and processed together in the farm’s original wet mill and then sold locally through a growers cooperative. Coffees are delivered to the co-op where producers receive a base price for their delivery. Once the coffees are cupped, an additional premium payment is received based on the quality. In the years we’ve been buying coffee from the Gomez family we’ve seen the positive impact of these premiums. We visited in October 2018 and in addition to building a new home on the property and investing in some new milling equipment, they’ve also upgraded an existing house with a larger kitchen and seating area. With this upgraded structure, the Gomez family has begun to serve much like a community center for their remote rural community, hosting preschool programs, educational classes, and regular visits from healthcare providers who work to provide vaccines and medical services.
