Luis Anibal Calderón, a second-generation coffee grower from Acevedo, Huila, has overcome countless obstacles to become one of the most successful specialty coffee producers in Colombia. Luis Anibal started working in the coffee fields at the age of 12 on the family farm. His hard work and passion for coffee was noticed. When he turned 15, his father gave him a small plot of land where he worked and eventually saved enough money to purchase his first coffee farm.
However, he faced financial difficulties when he took out a loan to purchase a neighbouring property, and the C-price began to drop. As a result, he had to sell the farm he had dreamed about to pay back a large portion of the loan.
Despite these challenges, Luis Anibal was determined to improve his financial situation and joined his town’s Specialty Coffee Association, Primaveral, where they pay 15% higher than C-price for his cherries. However, it wasn’t enough. He took the risk and began 5000 Gesha trees. A few years later, it was evident that the extra effort was worth it, and he decided to change his entire farm to cultivate exotic coffee varieties.
In 2019, Luis Anibal began planting native trees amongst his coffee trees to reduce the need for fertilisers, preserve his soil, and improve his cup quality. He continues to innovate and inspire other growers in the specialty coffee industry with his innovation and hard work.
