Julio Ramos Paya
Planadas

Planadas is a municipality in the south of the department of Tolima. Here, distance counts, as the roads are often in poor condition. The average driving time between Bogotá and Planadas can be up to 8 hours, if the road is not blocked. The isolation of this region is explained by its history. It was here that FARC began its guerrilla war. Later, once peace had been restored, coffee was a vector for renewal in the region.

Planadas coffees have won numerous national competitions. This is partly due to the "small" size of the farms, the dedication of the growers and their families and the traditional skills of the beneficios who process the coffees. The social impact of coffee production is incredible in Planadas.

Located in the heart of Colombia, the department of Tolima is one of the country's most emblematic coffee-growing regions, renowned for its premium cup profile, organic production and strong social impact. As one of the most complex areas in the country in recent years, Tolima has seen coffee become a driving force for transformation, boosting the local economy while providing a diversion from the economy linked to the armed conflict.

The topography varies from micro-region to micro-region: in the north, the hot, flat climate is ideal for growing rice and cotton, while in the centre the different altitudes offer contrasting climates. But it is in the south, in the mountainous areas bordering the main natural parks and unspoilt regions, that coffee production is concentrated, making Tolima one of the most famous origins in Colombia.

Located in the heart of the country's main coffee-growing region, Tolima benefits from the best geographical and climatic conditions, with fertile mountain soils, ideal altitudes and a temperate tropical climate, which are conducive to the development of the most prized varieties. Thanks to these advantages, the region is one of the most important production areas in the country. Hundreds of associations and cooperatives have turned coffee into a springboard for improving living conditions. As Carlos Guillermo Ospina points out: "In the south of Tolima, coffee has been a symbol, produced not only by coffee growers, but also by victims, indigenous communities and ex-combatants. Thanks to this crop, the community has come together and made an important contribution to peace-building".