Diever Galindez
monKaaba — Colombia
Diever Galindez and his wife Estela Guzman run Finca Las Juntas in the mountains of San Agustín, Huila, Colombia. The farm sits at around 1,800 meters above sea level. On three hectares of land, they grow mainly Pink Bourbon along with other varieties.
Today, their work stands for quality, care, and the drive to improve. By joining monKaaba, they gained access to the specialty coffee market. For the first time, they were able to sell microlots under their own name. We are proud to be able to buy Las Juntas - Diever’s exceptional washed Pink Bourbon - for the third year in a row.
monKaaba
From an initial group of six founding families, monKaaba now includes more than 60 families and is beginning to extend its support to smallholder farmers in neighboring regions who have limited or no access to specialty coffee market prices. The impact of monKaaba's approach is already visible. Esnaider has noticed that the quality of production has increased among all producers involved in monKaaba and is now of a more consistent quality. In addition, many of the young growers who started by contributing to collective blends, such as La Colmena, have now started selling microlots under their own name for solid prices. This creates sustainable wealth for smallholder families and keeps younger generations interested in growing coffee.
Like many smallholder farmers in Colombia, Diever sold his coffee for years on the conventional market. Prices were low. There was little traceability and no feedback on quality.
In 2010, Diever and Estela joined a small group of established producers. This gave them access to slightly better prices. However, their coffee was still blended and sold without clear traceability. The lack of transparency left Diever dissatisfied.
At the same time, many of their Caturra trees were affected by leaf rust, a fungal disease that damages Arabica plants. In response, they planted 700 Pink Bourbon trees. These first plants produced new seedlings that now grow in plots across much of the farm. Smaller plots of Castillo, Cogollo Rojo, and Gesha were added as well.
Diever joined monKaaba in its second year and has since become one of the project’s most committed members. With dedication and persistence, he continues to develop his farm, focusing on quality and greater independence.