Passionate coffee producer Gilma Rosa Gutierrez manages La Esperanza Farm in the village of El Jordan, in the heart of Colombia’s renowned coffee-growing region, alongside her husband Raul Duran. Located 40 minutes south of Gaitania by car, the lush region sits at 1,650 meters above sea level. Finca La Esperanza shares wet and dry mill facilities with Raul's farm, Finca El Porvenir, operating in practice as a single integrated farm.

Since its establishment in 1980, La Esperanza has cultivated various varieties such as Caturra, Colombia, and Castillo across six hectares. The farm produces fully washed coffee with meticulous attention to detail. Only ripe cherries are handpicked and rested for 24 hours post-harvest. The cherries are then depulped without water, fermented for another 24 hours, washed three times, and drained in mesh bags called tulas before being spread on raised beds to dry. Drying takes 15–20 days depending on weather. The harvest seasons run from April–June and October–December.

Gilma began cultivating coffee with support from her husband Raul after acquiring land adjacent to his. From the start, their goal was to produce specialty coffee recognized for its quality abroad.

Their farm uses a traditional beneficio with fermentation tanks lined with majolica tiles to help preserve each batch’s terroir. The coffee is depulped without water and fermented for about 30 hours (±6) depending on variety and temperature. Afterward, it is washed twice with clean spring water sourced from within the farm. Using washing channels ("Caño de Coheteo"), they separate low-density beans from heavier, high-quality parchment. Roughly 5% of the coffee is removed at this stage.

Initial drying reduces moisture to around 20% over 8–10 days using traditional systems called Casa Herda or two parabolic solar dryers. These methods leverage sunlight and airflow in the early stage of drying.

Scenery of Tolima

Coffee from Finca La Esperanza regularly attracts attention in quality competitions. In 2016, one of Gilma's lots passed the preliminary round of the prestigious FNC “Colombia Tierra de Diversidad” contest, demonstrating her commitment to quality.

Her husband Raul has played a transformative role in traditional coffee farming in Gaitania—introducing new varieties and modernizing cultivation techniques. Since arriving in Gaitania in the 1970s, he focused on replacing traditional Typica and Bourbon varieties with the more productive Caturra, crucial to Colombia’s goal of doubling national coffee output.

As the first FNC extension officer, Don Raul educated local farmers on agronomic practices, pest control, subsidies, and more. His work laid the foundation for a new generation of coffee producers in the region.

Town of Gaitania

Raul's influence is evident in Gaitania's coffee scene today. Most finalists from Tolima in Cup of Excellence competitions come from Gaitania, establishing it as one of Colombia’s top coffee regions. His pioneering efforts continue to shape the future of Gaitania’s coffee sector. His son Raul and daughter-in-law Astrid Medina—both well-known Colombian coffee producers—are among many still benefiting from his legacy.

Raul, Gilma's son, during our visit in April.