Antioquia's economic and social landscape is structured by the long-established cultivation of coffee. The region is characterised by great geographical diversity, with virtually all the country's features represented: sea, plains, mountains, highlands, swamps, rivers, marshes and forests. Crossed by two branches of the Andes, the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Central, it was in this region that coffee was introduced to Colombia over 180 years ago.
Today, Antioquia is the country's main coffee-growing region. With more than 128,000 hectares dedicated to coffee, the region produces a wide variety of coffees thanks to its many microclimates and terroirs. The department has 117,000 hectares of plantations, making it the second largest producer in the country. There are also 95,553 coffee farms and 76,543 growers in the region. These figures underline the vital importance of this industry to the local economy.
