Partner Spotlight - Elsa Córtes

Elsa Córtes is the farmer behind West Oak's Washed Bioinnovation Castillo. 

Elsa and her family own a small 1 hectare (2.5 acre) farm in Cundinamarca, Colombia. All coffee from the farm is picked and sorted the traditional way: painstakingly, by hand. The farm has been owned by the family for generations, with Elsa and her husband handling cultivation and day-to-day operations.

When Elsa's husband passed away unexpectedly, she was faced with a decision: would she continue tending to the farm, or retire? She chose to carry on in the face of adversity and took on the entirety of the farm's operations herself.

The entire Córtes family made certain that Elsa would have all the support she needed to keep the farm up and running. When we took a trip to Elsa's farm, we met her whole family: everyone from her mother all the way to her granddaughter. We were blown away by her tight-knit family and the sense of community they share. 

We were able to be the first to tell Elsa what happens with her coffee when it leaves her farm. We shared photos of our roastery, our shops, and our own Dentonite customers, so she knew that a farm even as small as a hectare could make an impact halfway across the world.

It was a trip we'll never forget!