George and JR, two long-time friends and business partners in the travel industry, had been passionate about ecological conservation and organic farming for a long time. They realized their second act in 2017 with the purchase of Finca Naya, a farm in Colombia’s Antioquia region, world renowned for coffee.
Our vision was to create a sustainable, transparent coffee brand with the aim to connect consumers directly to the farm. We are part of the beans’ journey from the very beginning to the end and can therefore guarantee ethical coffee production from seed to roasted bean. This level of integration is rare in the world of coffee. It enables us to strive for the highest standard of quality and drive the comprehensive process with social and environmental responsibility.
In the past years we’ve honed our skills in everything coffee, seeking ways to reduce our carbon footprint and improve the sustainability of our farming and processing practices. The learning curve has been steep but rewarding. Our innovative quest continues, growing and crafting exceptional coffee with respect for the land and the community.
The influence of geography on the flavor of coffee is profound. Our coffee is grown on the high ridges of Colombia’s Northern Andes, in the Antioquia region, at 1400 - 1800 meters above sea level. Here, the perfect microclimate with abundant sunshine and rainfall, together with rich volcanic soil, provides ideal conditions for cultivating superb Arabica coffee. The high altitude has an immense impact on the concentration of flavors in the bean. At these elevations, plants mature slower in the cool mountain air, and steep hills provide better drainage, causing more complex sugars to develop, resulting in a distinctive flavor profile with prolonged sweetness.
Specialty Coffee
Third wave coffee culture brings a new mindset and appreciation to the art of coffee craft. Vocabulary borrowed from wine making is valid. Coffee, just like wine, has unique characteristics tied to its “terroir” or origin.
Single estate equals quality and purity. Our Arabica specialty crops are micro-lot traceable, each preserving its varietal nuance. The cherries are selectively hand-harvested at peak ripeness, never strip-picked. As a result, only the finest beans go on to the next stage. We experiment continuously with various natural fermentation methods. With the washed process, the focus is on the bean itself, allowing you to taste the distinctive flavor notes of our specialty coffee.
It gives us great joy to host Ms. Dora’s primary school class on our premises. Children from Finca Naya and neighboring farms gather each morning, to learn, play, and eat, in and around the tidy school building. Their voices and laughter accompany our workday.
Opportunity to an accessible education in rural coffee growing regions is vital. It is our long- term commitment to support the children with a safe and nurturing learning environment, strengthening the community and building trusting relationships.
For every bag of coffee we sell, 25 cents are donated to the school.
We are starting to collaborate with neighboring small family farms, combining resources and consolidating high quality specialty harvests under one brand. Each single estate story is unique and should be featured as such. This will provide a stable alternative with fair compensation to a historically exploited and impoverished coffee-growing community. Empowering small-hold farmers with direct trade partnerships, eliminates long distribution chains and leads to independence from volatile global markets. This concept ensures transparency and sustainable livelihoods for farmers, as well as consumer intimacy to the source.
The specialty coffee segment is gaining traction all over the world. Roasting is the last important step on the journey of these exceptional beans. Releasing their unique essence is an art form. We spend much time and care, developing the perfect roast profiles to reveal our coffee’s distinctive tasting notes. To maintain freshness and monitor quality, we roast the beans in small batches. High cupping scores from certified Q- graders consistently guarantee our coffee specialty grade distinction.
Investing into the sustainable specialty coffee model was our clear choice, a better socioeconomic, biological and environmental coffee producing alternative.
Concerned with the decline of migratory birds we want to do our bit, to provide much needed habitat to overwintering species. Their vitality is crucial to a balanced ecosystem.
We preserve forests and natural springs, along with continuously planting trees in and around coffee bushes. Working landscapes can provide bird habitat and biodiversity. Trees also absorb carbon, and the fallen leaves supply compost.
Our focus is on healthy soil, we abstain from herbicides and use organic biochar, to promote soil health and retain nutrients. Cherry pulp, and other coffee production waste is turned into compost and supplemented with worm compost. Pruning plants and weeding by hand is labor intensive, but we believe, sustainable agriculture methods lead to wholesome quality crops. Hearing the song of warblers, orioles and other migratory birds, makes us happy and shows, that this way of coffee cultivation is quantifiable. We appreciate consumer awareness to support coffee, grown with lower climate and ecosystem impacts.
We are committed to the well-being of our farm employees, ensuring safe working conditions and above average wages.
Health insurance, social security, pension, 18 days paid holidays, as well as 12 days paid vacation, 13th month salary plus severance pay are included in the compensation.
We take pride in shared success and want to provide sustainable livelihoods for the people who work for us.
Choosing a name for your brand is exciting yet daunting. Our friend Gisella came up with the name ‘Naya’. We immediately liked the sound of the word, its meaning of renewal, fresh beginning, couldn’t be more fitting for our new adventure.
We are lucky to have our friend and design genius, Julien, on our team. He created Naya’s beautiful logo, the sun rising above our mountainous farm, encapsulated within, the essence of coffee growing.