Frank Rivas Torres is a coffee producer, Q Grader, and the primary manager of his family’s estate, Finca La Indonesia, in the Nariño department of Colombia. Frank and his siblings—Juan Angel, Gabriel, and Yorgeny, all coffee producers in their own right—cultivate coffee across the La Indonesia property, which was handed down from their grandfather, Marco Antonio Torres. The estate is comprised of several plots of land located just outside of La Pradera town in La Union municipality. The family’s history in coffee is long, with Marco Antonio being one of the first people to cultivate coffee in La Union more than 80 years ago. Frank and his siblings grow coffee alongside fruits and many different shade trees at La Indonesia, with an emphasis on preserving soil quality and responsible water management.
La Indonesia sits 1750 meters above sea level on one of Nariño’s many mountain slopes. The farm has infrastructure to process Washed, Honey, and Natural coffees, as well as over 300 square meters of patios for drying coffee. Plantains, citrus, bananas, lulo, and corn are all cultivated alongside the coffee crop as well.
Managing the quality of the environment is a priority, as well as having a scientific approach to the quality of the coffee crop. The land is fertilized four times per year with the aim of preserving the organic matter in the soil. Coffee cherries are measured with a brixometer to determine the optimal harvest time, choosing the best sugar concentrations for each cultivated variety. The family has also planted several varieties at La Indonesia, including Pink Bourbon, Maragogype, Bourbon Sidra, and Yirgacheffe, seeking out unique profiles and emphasizing high quality coffee over large production volumes
