Feature Espresso : Leoncio Maceto | Colombia

More about Leoncio and his coffee:

Leoncio is a coffee grower from Ortega municipality in Tolima, Colombia.

Cultivating coffee at his farm Las Brisas located in the Alto Guyabos areas. The farm spreads over 6 hectares of which 3.6 are dedicated to coffee production. Leoncio is a leading member of Cafe Agrario association, working to improve lives of their members through quality coffee production.

Working closely with Siruma, our export partners, the group has made huge progress over the last few years both in raising their coffee quality as well as improving their organisation skill and inclusion.

This lot from Leocio is processed using the traditional washed method with utmost precision resulting in an especially sweet and vibrant cup!

The story of Cafe Agrario Association:

Leoncio is one of the leading members of Cafe Agrario association who work closely with our export partner Siruma.

Café Agrario was founded in Tolima with a political rather than commercial purpose, under a leader with roots in the region's guerrilla conflict. For years the association operated in isolation, rejecting outside support from NGOs or government bodies. As neighbouring associations began accessing help and improving their livelihoods, members recognised what they were missing.

After a change in leadership, Café Agrario began accepting external support and made rapid progress in both quality and output. But the new leader overreached — selling members' coffee on credit to buyers who ultimately couldn't pay, leaving all 35 farming families without income for coffee they had already delivered.

Despite this setback, the group pivoted. Recognising specialty coffee as a path to better prices, they began working with Siruma in 2021 — and their progress since has been significant. Early on, insufficient infrastructure and limited knowledge of quality analysis meant the association often accepted base prices for coffee that could have commanded far more. With Siruma's support they've developed the capacity to physically assess their coffee, identify the varieties on their farms, and process and sell sought-after single-variety lots.

Through Siruma's connections, the association has participated in social equity workshops led by non-profit Bean Voyage, and several members attended the Women Powered Coffee Summit in Mexico with expenses covered. The impact has been lasting — female members now form an important part of the leadership team, and the association is actively working to bring younger generations into the group and into coffee production more broadly. This spirit extends beyond the farm: through local organisation CorTolima, the group has taken part in biodiversity protection initiatives, and a squad of young members has even formed a birdwatching group — fostering a genuine appreciation and stewardship of the local ecosystem.