Jose Elcias Martinez
PARTNER’S NAME: FRANCY HELENA INGA
FINCA EL CASINO STORY
Jose Martinez was born and raised on a coffee farm in a traditionally coffee growing family. From his parents, he learned everything about coffee, from taking care of the coffee trees, to good post-harvesting practices. When he was just 16 years old, he decided to leave home and ended up working as a bus driver, where for more than a decade, he was able to travel throughout the entire country, from north to south, from east to west, getting to know all the roads in Colombia. One day, he decided to come back to his house looking for a more stable life. He bought his father’s old farm to start paving a new path, following in his father’s steps.
José Martinez has become a farmer like no other. He is passionate, innovative, and always looking for opportunities and advice to become better and to improve his quality. He keeps his trees healthy and very well pruned, he measures his fermentation process to determine the correct endpoint for each fermentation and has achieved the perfect balance of flavours. In 2014, José Martinez had a very small 4×8 drying infrastructure, and with the passing of years, and the extra incomes that he has received, he has been able to enlarge his drying patios and improve the infrastructure. Jose’s life has completely transformed since he started producing specialty coffee. The extra incomes that he receives has changed his mind set and his perspective on coffee. He now takes better care of every single step of the process.
Farm Varieties
Size

Total Farm Area
10 Hectares

Area in Coffee
5 Hectares
Location

Country
Colombia

Municipality
Palestina

Department
Huila

Elevation
1,800 MASL
Technical info

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

Processing Method
Fully washed and dry fermented for 20 hours.

Shade
Plantain

Drying Method
Dried on house-type covered patios.