La Cortina | Colombia

Leonid was born into a traditional coffee-growing family. He owns the 4-hectare Cortina de Hierro farm, located at 1,900 meters above sea level in Génova, Quindío. Shade trees such as walnut and carbonero trees can be found on his farm. Leonid grows traditional coffee varieties such as Caturra and Castillo and has been producing coffee since 2003, the year he purchased his farm. At Cortina de Hierro, Leonid relies on the help of his uncle and cousins, who handle maintenance and oversee all farm operations. Leonid has a daughter who lives and works in Armenia. Although she enjoys the coffee industry and supports her father in his coffee projects, for now she is not interested in getting involved in the family business, although he hopes she will change her mind one day.

From a young age, Leonid was surrounded by coffee. His father died when he was just 4 years old, leaving his mother to care for Leonid and his two younger brothers. As the eldest, Leonid took on the responsibility of caring for his siblings and began working at a very young age, while still attending school. He started working as a "chapolero," the traditional word for coffee picker. During his teenage years, Leonid became increasingly involved in coffee production and dreamed of owning his own farm one day.

At 25, Leonid became interested in a piece of land for sale. He visited the farm in Génova, Quindío, and fell in love with it. With his savings and the support of his family, he managed to buy the farm. He began renovating the coffee plantations and removing the eucalyptus trees he had planted, as these trees are known to damage the soil.

Leonid's journey into coffee was very challenging. Although coffee production wasn't very profitable at first, he knew coffee represented the future for his family. So he began investing in better farming practices and working with specialty coffee. He participated in several coffee auctions, where his coffee was always a favorite.

In 2016, Cofinet began a relationship with Leonid. He is grateful for the guidance Cofinet has provided him in specialty coffee production, as well as for the technical assistance with experimental fermentation techniques. We are honored to have Leonid as one of our coffee suppliers and also as a friend. Leonid enjoys enjoying a tinto, the traditional coffee drink sweetened with sugarcane, while taking a break from his work on the farm.