The Cabildo Inga of Nariño represents one of Colombia’s most resilient and culturally rich Indigenous communities. Descended from Quechua-speaking peoples brought to the region during the Inca expansion, the Inga have preserved their language, traditions, and spiritual worldview across centuries of colonization and conflict.
The Inga people trace their heritage to the Inca Empire, specifically to groups that relocated to southern Colombia. They speak Inga, a dialect of Quechua, and maintain strong ties to Andean cosmology and spiritual practices in communities concentrated in Aponte (Nariño) and the Valley of Sibundoy, with additional populations in Putumayo and Caquetá.
The Cabildo is the traditional Indigenous authority that governs community life, mediates justice, and defends territorial rights.
Inga producers cultivate coffee using organic techniques aligned with their spiritual connection to the land, avoiding synthetic chemicals and promoting biodiversity. Coffee is grown alongside shade trees, bananas, corn, and beans, creating resilient ecosystems and improving soil health. Their farms, located near the Galeras volcano at elevations of 1800 - 2400 MASL, benefit from nutrient-rich volcanic loam that enhances cup quality. The Inga grow varieties like Caturra and Castillo at high elevations, which slow bean maturation and concentrate sugars for superior flavour profiles.
This lot was harvested by the Cabildo Inga community and then processed by Andres Martinez, a young Colombian coffee producer and Biochemical Engineer whose deep coffee-growing roots inspired his career in the specialty coffee industry. With experience in soil research and process standardization, he brings a scientific approach to coffee production. Today, Andrés leads his own project, managing two farms in Cauca, Colombia in Inza and El Sendero cultivating exceptional varieties such as Geisha, Chiroso, Papayo, Pink Bourbon, and Sidra. Elevation ranges from 1750 to 1900 MASL.
Recommendation:
Resting: 2-3weeks
Espresso: 1:2.2-2.4, 92c
Filter: 1:16.5 , 93c
