Colombia Tablon de Gomez

Tablon de Gomez municipality is in one of the most famous coffee-growing areas of Nariño, Colombia. It’s an area where coffee has made an immense and positive difference in quality of life. To get to Tablon de Gomez one first flies to Bogota, then takes a local flight to Nariño. In Nariño you then board a pickup — one of few vehicle types that can pass through the muddy dirt roads ahead — and ride for another 2 hours.

Tablon de Gomez is a community with a deeply-rooted tradition of ecological protection. All producers preserve part of their farm as untouchable forest. They also leave native plants untouched in places where waterways originate, and keep livestock out of those areas. They are hyperaware that climate change is a real problem and that as it worsens, their community and others like it will bear the earliest and most severe consequences.

The producers here focus primarily on coffee, intercropping with other fruit trees that they use for shade like avocado and lemon. They also raise free-range animals such as chickens, pigs, and guinea pigs, whose manure and consumption contribute to the integrated ecosystem. The coffee-growing area of ​​Tablon de Gomez reaches between 1750 and 2000 meters above sea level.

The producers here tell us that many years ago the area was not nearly as productive and the community members’ economic situation was worse. Back then, producers grew mostly peanuts and corn and few fertilized their land. This all changed as families switched over to growing coffee and were introduced to fertilizer, both of which have improved the community’s financial and ecological well-being immensely.

Tablon de Gomez shares a culture of peace and respect between neighbors. In August, everyone gets together to celebrate San Ezequiel, their patron saint. On this holiday, each house puts together a troupe at the door of their houses to join the general celebration by sharing fried guinea pig and liquor.

History of Colombian Coffee

As with many coffee origins, it is believed that coffee was first brought to Colombia by priests, arriving, perhaps, within a decade or two after coffee first came to the Americas via the Caribbean in the first half of the 17th century. It was likely a garden crop grown for local consumption and barter for decades. Unlike other coffee regions, we have the story of a priest named Francisco Romero, who could be called the father of commercial coffee cultivation in Colombia. The folkloric tale goes that in the early 1800s, Father Francisco, hearing confessions in the northeastern town of Salazar de la Palmas, assigned planting coffee to his parishioners as penance for their sins. The Archbishop of Colombia heard about this and ordered all priests to adopt the practice. Commercial production of coffee expanded quickly, moving into regions where the growing conditions were ideal.

Growing Coffee in Colombia

Even though it’s been 4,000 years, the soil resulting from the last major eruption of Tolima is still considered “young soil,” filled with nutrients that are no longer found at the same levels in old soil. There is a long list of elements on offer in volcanic soil that are fading or absent in other soils, such as high levels of potassium and nitrogen. Also present is something called “Boron,” which arrived from outer space a long time ago, and is important to cell walls, the creation of enzymes, and the production of flowers and fruit, meaning Boron contributes to yield. Beyond the nutrients, the structure of volcanic soil is also beneficial to coffee growing. It can soak up and hold moisture while, at the same time, facilitating good drainage so water doesn’t pool, which is not good for coffee plant roots. Coffee plants like to take a drink, then take a break. Also, volcanic soils are usually found on an incline, which also helps with drainage.