Johan Gutierrez Falla

The Monteverde brand was established in 2010 and consists of two estates, both located in the town of Herrera, in the southern part of the Tolima department in Colombia. One estate is known as Florestales II (coffee farm), and the other is La Primavera (livestock farm). Around the year 1941, Alejandrino Gutiérrez (the 2nd generation of coffee producers) purchased the estates and relocated with his entire family from the municipality of Anzoátegui in northern Tolima to Herrera in the southern/western part of Tolima. He aimed to initiate cultivation on the newly acquired and more productive lands in the high mountains. These lands were unexplored and hadn’t been cultivated for a long time due to their challenging accessibility. After a few years, Alejandrino decided to move to the neighboring department of Valle del Cauca, to an area with easier access, leaving his coffee estate (Florestales II) in the care of Óscar (the 3rd generation of coffee producers), one of his younger sons. Later, Oscar would buy the estate from his father, while one of his brothers, Jorge, purchased the livestock estate (La Primavera). In 1966, Óscar bought La Primavera from his brother Jorge, thus becoming the owner of both properties.

The livestock estate remained the property of Óscar and Fanny, while the coffee estate was bequeathed to Gildardo and his wife Miralba as an inheritance from their father around the year 1988. Coffee cultivation has always been a part of the coffee estate. Gildardo and Miralba (the 4th generation of coffee producers) have three children, all coffee cuppers, who encouraged them to plant exotic coffee varieties in 2010. Gildardo and his wife believed in their children and followed their suggestion. The birth of the “Finca Monteverde” brand as a producer of high-quality coffee occurred when exotic coffee varieties were planted in 2010. Miralba and Gildardo’s children represent the 5th generation of coffee producers. The eldest, Johan, resides in the town of Herrera (a half-hour drive from the estate) and assists his father with daily farm tasks (he is the general manager and oversees coffee processes, harvest supervision, etc.). The next son, Newerley, is a Q Grader and serves as the commercial manager. The youngest daughter, Katerinne, is also a Q Grader, director of sales, and the farm’s agronomist.

In 2021, the 4th and 5th generations of coffee producers decided to purchase the livestock estate, La Primavera, from Óscar and Fanny. This decision marked Óscar and Fanny’s retirement at the ages of 86 and 85. From that point onward, La Primavera became part of the family enterprise, Finca Monteverde, facilitating a generational transition that continues within this coffee-loving family.