Los Idolos

San Agustin, the municipality where the coffee for Los Idolos is grown, is located in the southern region of Huila. It’s a picturesque and agricultural community driven by tourism, enriched with a significant indigenous heritage. San Agustin is situated on one side of Colombia’s central mountain range, and its primary economic activities include coffee cultivation, sugar cane production, cattle farming, and tourism. The latter is due to its remarkable archaeological sites, which feature the largest complex of Pre-Columbian megalithic funerary monuments, statuary, burial mounds, terraces, and sanctuary venues. The San Agustin Archaeological Park covers a total area of 116 hectares and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. These artistic creations showcase the creativity and imagination of an indigenous culture that thrived from the 1st to the 8th century. These monolithic sculptures are referred to as “Idolos,” which is similar to the brand’s logo.

Caravela began collaborating with coffee producers from San Agustin in 2006, the same year Los Idolos was established to honor and acknowledge the local coffee growers. Initially, these producers would deliver their coffee to Caravela’s purchasing station in Pitalito. Subsequently, a purchasing station was opened in San Agustin to bring the coffee growers closer, reducing their travel distance for delivery and facilitating collaboration with Caravela’s PECA and Quality teams. Since then, there has been a notable improvement in coffee quality, attributed to producers enhancing their drying processes, deepening their understanding of coffee processing, and consequently achieving greater consistency.