La Estrella del Ostro

Around120 small-scale coffee producers
STORY

Estrella del Ostro is a Colombian specialty coffee produced by small scale growers in the muni-cipality of La Plata. The first formal settlements in the region came into existence in the late 16th century when the Spanish arrived at the region looking for gold but instead found silver, hence the name “La Plata” which means silver. In the year of 1651, a parish named San Sebas-tian de La Plata was created by catholic priests, the name honors Sebastian de Belalcazar, a famous Spanish conquistador, as well as the silver found in the region. “La Estrella del Ostro” gets its name from the Star of the Southern Wind, which shines just above the mountain range where this coffee is grown. On a clear night, this bright star points towards the top of the mountain in La Plata. Estrella del Ostro started with a few small-scale producers from the township of Belen, which is part of La Plata. With the passage of time, contributing producers has increased and some are from other townships of La Plata. The main economic activities revolve around agriculture with coffee, plantain, rice, and cacao being some of the main crops. It is a region with good biodiversity traversed by the Aguacatal, La Plata and Paez rivers and the western side part of the central mountain range of Colombia. Other aspects that affect the agroclimatic conditions and help with its biodiversity are its proximity to the Huila National Natural Park which has the Huila Nevado (snow caped mountain) and the Purace National Natural Park. It has a clay loam soil ideal for coffee, with temperatures ranging from 17ºC to 28ºC in the area’s coffee is found.


“This coffee is juicy with a mix of caramel and fruity flavors. lt has sweet notes of lemongrass with a kiwi-like acidity, and a gingery finish.”

Farm Varieties
Size
Average Farm Size

2 to 5 Hectares

Location
Country
Colombia
Municipality
La Plata.
Department
Huila
Elevation

1,400 – 2,000 MASL

Technical info
Harvest

First semester:May – July
Second semester:October – December

Processing Method

Washed.

Shade

Cambulo, Guamo, Cedro and native trees.

Drying Method

Sun-dried on parabolic covered patios and covered raised beds.