A Deep Dive into Colombian Specialty Coffee: Sudan Rume

TRACEABILITY

Producer: James Arley Fernandez Vivas

Product Name: Sudan Rume Wash

Farm Name: La Raja

Country: Colombia/Cauca/El Tambo/Betania

Altitude: 1750m

Varietal: Sudan Rume

Process: Washed

Main Harvest: May to July

Mitaca: November to December

FARM MANAGEMENT

To keep his coffee farm in optimal condition, Fernandez weeds and prunes every three to four months, depending on weather conditions.
Weeding helps control unwanted vegetation and eliminates competition for water, nutrients, and sunlight among coffee plants.
By controlling all vegetation growing within the coffee plantation, coffee plants receive the resources they need to thrive, resulting in better growth and higher yields.
Pruning makes coffee plants healthier and more productive by removing dead or diseased branches, encouraging new growth, and shaping the trees to a manageable height.
This makes harvesting easier for coffee growers.
Pruning also ensures good air circulation in the farm, helping prevent fungal infections and other diseases, and allows workers to move more easily within the plantation.

Cleaning the base of the trees before each fertilization improves efficiency in several ways.
Firstly, it removes any competing vegetation or organic debris that could hinder direct nutrient uptake into the soil.
This ensures that the nutrients applied during fertilization reach the coffee plant's roots directly, promoting optimal absorption.

Furthermore, collecting overripe, dry, and damaged fruits left after the coffee harvest prevents pests that could harm future harvests from breeding on the trees or in the soil.
This keeps the farm clean and reduces the risk of fungal infections and diseases that could arise from decaying fruit.

Fernandez practices intercropping on his farm, planting crops such as plantains, corn, and oranges between the coffee trees.
This serves several purposes.
Firstly, it provides shade for the coffee plants.
Secondly, it generates organic matter in the form of fruits, branches, and leaves, which decompose and enrich the soil with beneficial nutrients for coffee.
Thirdly, these plants provide food for Fernandez's family and workers.
Fourthly, the fruits harvested from intercropping can be sold as an additional source of income, diversifying the farm's revenue streams.

FERTILIZATION

Fernandez fertilizes his coffee farm three times a year.
This fertilization must be planned and adjusted based on water availability.
This is crucial for the dissolution and absorption of nutrients by coffee plants.
Without sufficient water, nutrients may remain undissolved in the soil or become overly concentrated, potentially harming the plants.
Additionally, water plays a vital role in transporting nutrients from the soil to all parts of the plant.
The timing and type of fertilization also depend on the condition of the field. The need for fertilization can vary significantly from tree to tree.
The composition and amount of fertilizer are adjusted accordingly to ensure each tree receives the appropriate nutrients for optimal growth and productivity.

Typically, 120 grams of fertilizer, combining primary and trace elements, are applied to each tree.
However, the ratio of these elements may vary according to the specific requirements determined by the stage and health of the coffee plantation.

HARVEST

The main harvest occurs between May and July, with a smaller harvest called "Mitaca" taking place from November to December.
These seasons have changed significantly due to climate change.
Harvesting is carried out by a group of local women trained to pick only perfectly ripe fruits, identified by their distinctive scarlet-red color, which can reach 21 Brix.
This process is done every 15 to 18 days.
At the end of each day, the harvested coffee is immersed in water.
During this process, less dense and lower-quality fruits float and are easily removed, ensuring that only the best cherries remain for processing.

FERMENTATION

Coffee cherries are depulped the day after harvest.
They are then placed in plastic tanks and left to ferment for 48 hours.
Once this time is complete, the beans are washed twice.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The farm has a conventional wet mill, a two-outlet pulper, circular sieves, plastic tanks, and a solar dryer greenhouse.

DRYING PROCESS

The coffee is dried for 10 days in a solar dryer greenhouse.
It is moved four times to ensure uniform drying.

STORAGE METHOD

For stabilization, it is stored in clean jute bags on wooden pallets for 15 days.

PRODUCER'S STORY

I used to work with other crops on a very small farm, but due to economic problems, I started working outside the farm.
Eventually, I was able to save enough money to buy a larger farm, where I started cultivating coffee.

Later, I joined Banexport, and following their recommendations, I started working primarily on the fermentation and drying processes.
I began to see the results of delivering unique and high-quality coffee to the final customer.

SUDAN RUME COFFEE VARIETAL INFORMATION

Sudan Rume is a variety originating from the Rume region in South Sudan, Africa.
It exhibits distinctive morphological characteristics, such as tall tree height, large leaves, medium branching density, and elongated beans.
While Sudan Rume is highly valued for its exceptional cup quality and unique sensory experience, it is primarily used for breeding and cross-pollination.
This practice yields hybrid trees that bear more fruit while retaining some of its valuable flavor characteristics.

The first recorded presence of Sudan Rume was in 1929 by A. Chevalier in the Boma Plateau of South Sudan.
J.G. Myers, an ecological advisor to the Sudanese government, confirmed its presence during a second visit in 1938.
In 1941, Myers brought A.S. Thomas, an economic botanist from the Ugandan Department of Agriculture, to collect seeds for breeding purposes.
Thomas documented the abundant growth of wild Arabica coffee on the slopes of Netich, particularly in the Barback and Rume areas.

In Barback, trees were observed reaching up to 5.5 meters in height, with variations in leaves and fruits.
In the Rume area, about three to three and a half miles south of Barback, coffee was found growing in areas cleared for maize cultivation, revealing remnants of cleared forest.
Samples collected during this expedition are believed to be the ancestors of the cultivated C. Arabica varieties known today as "Rume Sudan" and "Barbuck Sudan."