Encanto! A New Disney Movie about Colombia!

Canadians in Colombia

Live | Work | Building a Coffee Farm

ENCANTO!

 

The NEW Disney Film

Set in Magical Colombia!

Front view through the gardens
Image of the Madrigals home in the movie Encanto!
The front patio of Finca Mariposa -A Colombian coffee farm in Jardin Colombia

Exciting News! Did you know that Disney is releasing a new animated feature set in Colombia!

Official Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-TUIfpfjkM

The film is produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures around the world.

‘Encanto 2021’ is a computer-animated musical fantasy film directed by Byron Howard and Jared Bush, co-directed by Charise Castro Smith and written by Bush and Castro Smith with songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Lin-Manuel, as you may know, wrote the music for Hamilton. It should be amazing!

The Plot

Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto.

The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel.

But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.

Encanto is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on November 24, 2021.

Is it Jardin?

Does the trailer resemble Jardin, Antioquia, Colombia. Well, it resembles a lot of amazing and beautiful places in Colombia but being enchanted with Jardin, like many travellers are, we can’t help but see the magic, beauty and mystery of Jardin reflected in the images.

Jardin Antioquia
The front patio of Finca Mariposa -A Colombian coffee farm in Jardin Colombia

We look forward to the film!

Thank you to Disney for recognizing how unique Colombia is and showing the world!

Would you like more information on our Finca?

Accommodation, Coffee Tours, Eco-tourism

www.fincamariposajardin.com

Paying Coffee Farmers a Living Wage

Paying Coffee Farmers a Living Wage

Canadians in Colombia

Live | Work | Building a Coffee Farm

From Green Biz – June 2020
by Dean Cycon

I felt this a critical piece of journalism in understanding the economics of coffee farming today.

Paying farmers a living wage is essential to ensuring sustainable coffee production.

When you sit back with a good cup of coffee, you will be engulfed in the warmth, aroma, taste, acidity and body of the brew. Yet, swirling beneath the surface all of the major issues of the 21st century — climate change, globalization, immigration, women’s rights and wealth inequity — are being played out in remote coffee villages around the world.

How companies behave in the coffee trade has a direct impact not only on the lives and livelihoods of 28 million coffee farming families but on the welfare of the planet itself. Coffee companies claiming to be “ethical” or “sustainable” that refuse to pay a living wage to the farmers are fueling this longstanding human and environmental crisis.

Changes in rainfall patterns and temperature weaken coffee plants and reduce yields. Climate-enhanced fungi and bacteria decimate coffee plants, leaving families with little or no income for the next five years until new trees can be planted and mature. Larger farm owners must deforest land and plant more coffee to make up for the historically low prices they are receiving from the market. This deforestation inhibits carbon sequestration, which leads to higher temperatures. The cycle is self-fulfilling.

As a result, coffee production will be greatly limited in medium and lower elevations by 2030 to 2050. When production is reduced, farmers may use more chemicals in the growing process, which harms the soil and water sources, further degrading the planet and human health.

Coffee, poverty and migration are also connected. The largest single group of migrants trying to cross the southern border are from Guatemala, and most of them are from the coffee lands of Huehuetenango province. They are unemployed and landless coffee farming families hoping for a better life.

The price per pound paid to coffee farmers is based on the “New York C price,” a commodity system that operates much like a stock market. For several years, the C price for coffee has hovered around the farmer’s cost of production ($0.80-$1.10), which means no profit for the farmers. From a high in 2014, prices paid to farmers have plummeted by 70 percent and now dance around $1 per pound. Every pound a farmer sells, and every cup we drink, pushes a farmer deeper into poverty and despair. 

 

“$1,400 could pay for healthcare, children’s education, proper nutrition and technology to produce higher yields and reduce their need to clear land

Companies are not required to base their payments to farmers on the C price, and many of us do not. Organic and Bird Friendly certifications offer a price premium to the farmer. Fair Trade provides a “living wage floor” and many committed Fair Traders pay substantially higher prices. The few real Direct Traders offer real price premiums for limited amounts of high-quality coffee. Many companies hide behind labels, such as Rainforest Alliance or Utz Kapeh, or self-created programs such as “Ethical Sourcing,” which sound good but do not guarantee higher prices. 

Ironically, coffee company profits may be the highest in history. Companies such as Smuckers and Starbucks continue to raise their prices while their main cost of goods (buying coffee beans) has dropped considerably. According to the United Nations, the ratio between what the farmer was paid and what the companies sold their coffee for was 1:3 during the 1970s. Today, it is as high as 1:20, as many consumers are paying $20 a pound. 

In 2012, Starbucks reported its average price for green beans was $2.56 per pound. However, that is the price it paid to the broker, not to the farmer. After backing out shipping, insurance, importer and exporter and mill costs, that price would be closer to $2.20 paid per pound to the farmer. By 2014, Starbucks was only paying $1.72 to the broker (maybe $1.36 to the farmer). By paying the lower amount, Starbucks took $387 million out of the farmers’ pockets. As green prices keep falling, Starbucks has continued to pay coffee farmers less, while charging consumers more. 

So, who is winning this game? Not the farmers, not the public and not the environment. Instead of paying enough to support the farmers, large and small coffee companies contribute lesser amounts to nonprofits for clean water, health and environmental projects under the banner of “corporate sustainability.”

If coffee companies really want to fight the difficulties facing coffee farmers and the environment, they should just pay up. If Starbucks returned to its 2012 broker and farmer prices, it nearly would double family income on most small farms. To family farms in Nicaragua, Peru, Ethiopia and Indonesia, that $1,400 could pay for healthcare, children’s education, proper nutrition and technology to produce higher yields and reduce their need to clear land. Even a 25-cent increase in the price paid to farmers, which would get Starbucks closer to the prices paid by truly committed coffee companies, would bring $150 million back to the farms and its stock price would not even blink.

As an industry, we have lived long and well by treating farmers just like coffee. We see them as fungible commodities instead of true partners in the success of our businesses who are integral to effective adaptation to climate change and other issues of the day. The days of maximizing profits without seriously incorporating farmers’ concerns that bind us all together are over. It is time to pay up.

Would you like more information on our Finca?

Accommodation, Coffee Tours, Eco-tourism

www.fincamariposajardin.com

Farm to Table Coffee Production

Farm to Table Coffee Production

Canadians in Colombia

Live | Work | Building a Coffee Farm

Jardin Antioquia Farm to Table – Seed to Cup
Coffee Production

May 2021

  • 11.5 million 50 kilo bags – 3rd highest in the World
  • 5 Steps to Coffee Production in Jardin Colombia
  • Who Wins in the Coffee Game? 
    Hint.
    Not the farmer!
coffee picking with our great team at Finca Mariposa in Jardin
There are 5 steps in the process of getting delicious Colombian Coffee from the farm to your cup.

In this post I’ll focus on the steps from planting and cultivating, to selling the bean to the Cooperativa in Jardin, Antioquia. I will write about what happens to the coffee after it leaves Colombia in subsequent posts.

Note: Colombia’s average annual coffee production of 11.5 million bags. It is the third highest producer of coffee in the world, after Brazil and Vietnam, though highest in terms of hand picked arabica beans that grow in Colombias ideal growing conditions at 1500-1800m.

What I will describe here is what you will see and experience during a Finca Mariposa Farm to Table – Seed to Cup coffee tour with Daniel Rendon.
.

5 Steps

Bananas growing at a Colombian Coffee Farm - Finca Mariposa
Surprised Traveler riding on the Garrucha (wooden cable car) in Jardin Colombia
Coffee cherries ready to be picked from Finca Mariposa
Planting
Once the varietal is selected and the seedlings are planted it requires 2-3 years for the plants to mature enough to begin producing harvestable cherries. A coffee plant has lifecycle up to 7 years before it needs to be replaced with a new seedling to begin the process all over again.

Harvesting
The fruit, called the coffee cherry, turns a bright, deep red when it’s ripe and ready to be harvested.  In most countries there is one major harvest a year. In Colombia there are two flowerings annually. A main and secondary crop. Because the land is so mountainous and steep in Jardin Colombia all the coffee is picked by hand through a very labor-intensive process. Pickers rotate among the coffee plants every eight to 10 days during the harvest period, choosing only the cherries which are at peak ripeness. A strong picker – known as a “bomba” – picks an average of 50kg of coffee cherries a day.

Processing the Cherries

At Finca Mariposa we use the wet method for processing the cherries. First, the freshly harvested cherries are passed through a pulping machine to separate the skin and pulp from the bean. With the pulp removed the bean is dried with only a light parchment skin remaining. At this stage the quality of the bean starts to be revealed. In the water the beans are naturally separated by weight as they pass through several channels. The lighter beans float to the top (lower quality), while the heavier ripe beans sink to the bottom (higher quality). After separation, the beans are allowed to lightly ferment. Depending on a combination of factors — such as the condition of the beans, the climate and the altitude — they will ferment for 12 to 48 hours to remove the slick layer of mucilage (called the parenchyma) that is still attached to the parchment. When fermentation is complete, the beans feel rough to the touch. The beans go through a final rinse and are ready for drying..

Inspecting the dried coffee beans
the coffee drying process in coffee production in Colombia - in Jardin

Drying the Beans

The pulped and fermented beans must now be separated into high and low quality beans and dried to approximately 11% moisture to properly prepare them for storage.
These beans, still inside the parchment envelope (the endocarp), are sun-dried by spreading them onto large drying tables where they are turned regularly jn the sun. The dried beans are known as parchment coffee and remain in classic “sisal bags” until they are graded and readied for export.
.

Grading and Sorting

Grading and sorting is done by size and weight, and also examined visually at the Cooperativa for color flaws or imperfections. The coffee master at the Cooperativa weighs a standard number of beans, examines them carefully for unacceptable size or color, over-fermentation or insect-damage. Once the quality is determined the grower is paid based on the grade of their coffee. This is fascinating step in the process to experience. Like all farmers around the world with crops to be sold, this is when the fruits of their labor are realized and the quality of their land and farming techniques are revealed.
.

Who Wins in the Coffee Game? – Hint. Not the farmer!

As you can see from the document above. 83.50 kilograms or 184 lbs of green coffee netted us $853,699COP or +/- $231.71USD. Green coffee expands by about 30% when it is roasted so the final number of pound that can be sold at the retail level would equal approximately 239.20 Ilbs. Conservatively retailers price a bag of premium quality beans at $18.00USD.

The producer after 2 years of cultivation, picking and processing earns approximately $231USD for 83kg of premium coffee. The retailer might add another 30% to buy and roast the beans in North America.

In round numbers that will vary by region the retailer can net between $3600 – $4000USD after costs.

So, when roasters and retailers talk about “fair trade” or “sustainable farming” or even “organic farming” in most cases the farmer – the producer – who puts their heart and soul into producing a magnificent bean barely breaks even after costs of cultivation and production. The global coffee trade is a $200+ billion market.

Too better understand the economics of this vast global supply chain hit the link below. And please remember, the next time you enjoy a cup of great coffee from Colombia the grower who shoulders all the risk of climate change, pests and fluctuating global commodity markets (without any centralized price controls like oil) earned about $0.07 of that cup.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-economics-of-coffee-in-one-chart/

Front view through the gardens
coffee picking with our great team at Finca Mariposa in Jardin

Would you like more information on our Finca?

Accommodation, Coffee Tours, Eco-tourism

www.fincamariposajardin.com

Best Jeep Tours in Jardin Antioquia

Best Jeep Tours in Jardin Antioquia

Canadians in Colombia

Live | Work | Building a Coffee Farm

Canadians in Colombia

Live | Work | Building a Coffee Farm

Jardin Antioquia Jeep Tours at Finca Mariposa

Feb 2021

  • History of the Jeep 
  • Jeep Tours in Jardin
  • Discover Finca Mariposa
Jeep Tours in Jardin
Jeep Tours Jardin Antioquia
Come to Finca Mariposa for Jardin's best Jeep Tours in a 1954 Classic Willys.
Jardin Colombia Classic Jeep

History of the Classic Willy’s Jeep

For the 80 years the Jeep brand has been synonymous with ruggedness, adventure, authenticity and passion for driving.

Where does the name Jeep come from?

Afficianados have traced the name to the original contract for the combat Jeeps in which the US military was looking for a “General Purpose Combat Vehicle” which soilders shortend to “geep” which then became Jeep!

Throughout Colombia you will see Willys Jeeps where they are now designated as “vehicles cultura”. With their powerful engines they transport coffee, bananas, equipment and people across all kinds of steep and precipitous terrain. In many ways the Willys has become as important to the way of life of campesinos and cafetero’s as the classic tractor is to farmers in North America and eleswhere.

The Finca Mariposa Jardin Jeep you see in the adjacent photos is a 1954 Jeep CJ – 3B. It is part of the the lineage of the combat ready Jeeps built in the 1940’s known as M38 or MC.

In 1953 the Willys Motor Corp upgraded the model with it’s new CJ line. It had different styling which featured a higher hood to accomodate the new and more powerful “Hurrican F-Head” engine. This became the basis for the CJ line-up of Jeeps all the way up to 1968 and sold 155,000 units through those years.

Come to Finca Mariposa Jardin

Jeep Willys do the heavy lifting for cafeteros throughout Colombia

Best Jeep Tours

Jeep tours - outside of Jardin Colombia
Surprised Traveler riding on the Garrucha (wooden cable car) in Jardin Colombia
Jeep tours - outside of Jardin Colombia

Discover Finca Mariposa

Finca Mariposa is famous for our Jeep Tours, Coffee Tours and beautiful accommodation located minutes from Jardin Antioquia.

We offer two adventure filled Jeep Tours in our classic Willys Jeep.

Andes Mountain Tour – 4 hrs

This tour will take you away from the pueblo into the surrounding mountains for a tour on rugged mountain roads where you will experience what life is like in remote mountain valleys where some of the most delicious coffee in the world is grown and harvested. Like our cultural tour you will be immersed in the flora, fauna and bird life of the central Andes but this time you will be high on the ridges where many 3000m mountains are visible. Your tour will include lunch at the Blue House where you will enjoy a traditional campesino meal.

$45USD / person not including lunch

 Cultural Tour – 4 hrs

The cultural tour focuses on Jardin and the beautiful vistas around the pueblo. You will first explore “off the beaten path” places in Jardin to learn more about its history, culture and unique characters. Leaving the pueblo you will drive to the Mira Dor for one of the most beautiful views of Jardin while immersing in the flora, fauna and bird life of the central Andes. You will finish your tour with a visit to the Christo Rey and lunch at Jardins most beautiful café, Café Jardin.

$45USD / person not including lunch

Combine a Jeep Tour + Coffee Tour for $60USD total (6.0 hrs total)

Note: all tours can either begin in Jardin or at Finca Mariposa.

 

Front view through the gardens
coffee picking with our great team at Finca Mariposa in Jardin

Would you like more information on our Finca?

Accommodation, Coffee Tours, Eco-tourism

www.fincamariposajardin.com

Building or Buying Property in Jardin, Colombia

Canadians in Colombia

Live | Work | Grow  Coffee

Living in Jardin Colombia

Jan 2020

  • Tip #1 – Trust
  • Tip #2 – Be generous 
  • Tip #3 – Verify + do your homework
  • Tip #4 – Do we have to speak Spanish?
The central square of Jardin, Antioquia, Colombia
The central square of Jardin, Antioquia, Colombia

Building or Buying Real Estate in Colombia Tips and Insights 

If you’ve visited Colombia and have a passion for the country or maybe you’ve researched the Top 5 Places to Retire in the world then you might be asking yourself – “how do we pull this off, how can we “safely” buy a property in Colombia and who has experience doing this?”

We’ve done it! So, let us share some of the tips and insights we’ve gathered in 3 years  completing our dream home in Jardin, Colombia. As envisioned it is now more than covering it’s own costs and providing us with an amazing home away from home.

Tip #1 – Trust

The world over it’s no different. Relationships are built on trust and credibilty. Colombia is no different. Your success will depend on you networking and befriending locals, listening to their advice and getting to know them as people. This will take an investment of time. If you are buying in rural Colombia it will take even more time because things move more slowly in the mountains and the patience of campesionos (farmers) is fathomless. But it’s worth it. Once you’re trusted and you have reciprocated trust then the people will openly support you in everything do.

Tip#2 Be generous with resources and spirit

Trust also means pay your bills on time – especially with the building trades and suppliers. They can make your life easy or trecherous. Be generous. Give as much as you get or more. Be humble and genuinely respectful. And don’t for a minute think that these country “folks” aren’t sharp or savvy.

 

View of the town of Jardin and the many of the coffee plantations around the hills of this coffee region

Raw land, undeveloped, our first peak at paradise!

Today, a beautiful Finca, surrounded by coffee, banana, avocado and fruits of all kinds!

Building in Jardin, Colombia

Flowers blooming in Jardin - one of the best places to go in Colombia
Waterfalls near Finca Mariposa Jardin
Front of Finca Mariposa Jardin Coffee farm stay
Living room area of Finca Mariposa in Jardin

Tip #3 Verification + Do Your Homework

Again, like anywhere in the world, you need to build genuine trust and you need to track and verify. For instance, when building the house we transferred funds directly to the buiding supply company who provided us with price lists and receipts. We only paid for what we received and tracked labor costs by matching estimates with actual work completed before transferring money (daily photos and video). You can quickly transfer funds through banks and Western Union for smaller amounts. 

Another BIG TIP that might save you years of regret. A Compra y venta (a “buy and sell contract”) is not a deed. Real estate in Colombia is no different than anywhere else – you need a deed for full ownership. There are many stories of foreigners notorizing a “buy and sell contract”, transferring funds, and thinking they now own the land. They don’t. YOU NEED A DEED!

So, soon as you target a house or land, ask about the presence of a deed. If they dodge the question or say a compra y vente is the same, walk away. This is where having a good lawyer on your team is crucial to finalize and verify all the details. There are many competent multi-lingual lawyers in Colombia. Do your research! 

 

 

You can do this!

The hammock at Finca Mariposa Colombian Coffee farm
The front patio at Finca Mariposa in Jardin Colombia
Sunset view at Finca Mariposa
Bananas growing at a Colombian Coffee Farm - Finca Mariposa

 

Tip #4 Can we pull it off if we don’t speak Spanish?

Is speaking Spanish absolutely necessary? No. But, lets not be naive.  Things will take more time and you’ll have to find more allies as your proceed. Showing that you are learning Spanish as you get to know people will, of course, go a long way in building credibility. Whether you speak Spanish or not you’ll need to take your time putting infrastructure in place – banks and lawyers, etc. 

This was lot of information compressed and summarized. Don’t hesitate to contact us at the website below. 

www.fincamariposajardin.com

For now, listen to our story in the Life with David youtube channel.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdrL2tOPREQ

front gate of Finca Mariposa in Jardin Colombia
front gate of Finca Mariposa in Jardin Colombia

Would you like more information on our Finca?

Accommodation, Coffee Tours, Eco-tourism

www.fincamariposajardin.com

Exploring Jardin Colombia

Canadians in Colombia

Live | Work | Building a Coffee Farm

Exploring Jardin

Jan 2020

  • What Makes Jardin Special
  • History of Jardin Colombia
  • Our Coffee Farm in Jardin 
The central square of Jardin, Antioquia, Colombia

What Makes
Jardin, Colombia Special?

The first thing you discover when you visit Jardin, Colombia is that much of the life of the pueblo centers on the plaza – what locals call the “living room”. This is where you come to meet friends, conduct business, eat yummy salted mango, sip a café tinto, people watch and absorb the daily news and gossip. As we built Finca Mariposa from 2017-2019 this became our second home. 

It’s no surprise the main square of Jardin was declared a national monument by the Colombia Minister of Tourism in 1985. It instantly pulls you into it’s special feeling of community as each café adorns the plaza with different color tables and chairs and draws in it’s regulars.

The pueblo is famous throughout Colombia for its traditional colonial appearance, its lush mountain views, ecotourism and cultural authenticty.  The neo gothic styled Basilica Menor de la Inmaculada Conception with its dark brick facade provides an extraordinary focal point for worship, art and community.

View of the town of Jardin and the many of the coffee plantations around the hills of this coffee region

The proclaimed it the Garden of Antioquia!

Today, surrounded by coffee, banana, avocado and fruits of all kinds the town remains a garden! 

History of Jardin

Flowers blooming in Jardin - one of the best places to go in Colombia
Waterfalls near Finca Mariposa Jardin

Well before the Spanish conquest evidence reveals that the area around what is now Jardin was inhabited by the indigenous people of the region, including the Catíos de la etnia de los Chamíes.

Indalecio Peláez was the official founder of the township and area in 1863.

Like many stories in Colombia the naming of this pueblo is steeped in imagination born in fragments of reality.

The legend speaks of the founders cresting the ridge surrounding the valley and awestruck by the beauty and its enchanting river systems they proclaimed it to be the garden of Antioquia.

Today, it seems little has changed. The excitement of arrival never diminshes. As we journey from Canada to Medellin and venture up the mountain to Jardin we feel the landscape magically change as we “crest the ridge” and feel the lushness explode all around us.

 

Our Coffee Farm
in Jardin

Owners of Finca Mariposa in Jardin, Colombia
The hammock at Finca Mariposa Colombian Coffee farm
Our coffee plantation - traditional and modern home in Jardin
The front patio at Finca Mariposa in Jardin Colombia
Sunset view at Finca Mariposa
Bananas growing at a Colombian Coffee Farm - Finca Mariposa
Coffee cherries ready to be picked from Finca Mariposa

People always ask us to tell our story; “why did you come to Jardin and what inspired
possessed?- you to build a Finca and start a coffee farm?”

It’s both simple and complicated. Mimi, smiling in the hammock, grew up in Bogotá and Medellin but has lived in Canada most of her life. After an absence of 25 years (yes she wasn’t “home” for 25 years!) we came Medellin in 2017 for Mimi to reconnect with her roots and share that history with me. Doing our pre-trip research (we wanted time in the Andes Mountains)  we learned about “the most beautiful pueblo in all of Colombia” – Jardin! Intending to stay for 2 nights, we stayed for 5 and were so enchanted we started looking for land.

Two trips later we settled on what has become Finca Mariposa. A 5 acre, 2.5 hectare piece of paradise and the adventure began!

In the next blog we’ll walk you through the process of the buying and building experience. The challenges, the hazards and the keys to making it happen.

www.fincamariposajardin.com

For now, listen to our story in the Life with David youtube channel.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdrL2tOPREQ

Would you like more information on our Finca?

Accommodation, Coffee Tours, Eco-tourism

www.fincamariposajardin.com