EL PLACER / SEBASTIAN RAMIREZ

Sebastian Ramirez, a native of Quindio, a department known for its great coffee culture, is part of the fourth generation of family coffee growers.

Six years ago, for those turns that life takes, Sebastian took the reins of the house. He got to the seventh semester of law when he had to dedicate himself to his father's farm.

The El Placer farm is located in the Buenos Aires de Calarcá village.

"We had forty blocks on the farm, a lot of coffee and more than seventy workers. It was not enough for us, it was not enough, in Colombia it is very difficult to live from coffee"...

I heard something about special coffee in Armenia and one day I arrived at Alma Café, there I met an instructor from SENA who talked about cupping and that aroused my curiosity on the subject and that's how I got to know this world.

“I learned, I was educated and through love and perseverance we are turning the screw. But it was tight!

It can be said that Sebastian has dedicated his life to coffee and he is proud to admit it….  

“A personal decision that life imposed on me and that over time became my greatest joy. I tell you what we did: we put half of the farm up for rent. On the other hand we put special coffees of different varieties. Over there we also have bananas and plantains. And of course, there is another coffee that we sell to local businesses”.

Several of the coffee producers look for other business alternatives unrelated to the subject or others that have the possibility of joining them to the coffee experience; in this case Sebastian reflects…

“ We came to discover the most beautiful of all – or it occurred to us – a year ago. We had a huge house, three hundred and fifty years old, with an infinite number of empty rooms. In this uncertain future, plagued by financial speculation around a product from which so many live, we took a step forward. It was not just dedicating ourselves to producing, but putting together a complete experience for the consumer. From seed to cup. We adapt everything. There is now a hostel in the house and tourists, for a couple of hours, we make them discover our reality”.

Currently, Sebastián has established himself as one of the most famous specialty coffee producers in Colombia, however his motivation is to continue producing excellent coffee where he continues to leave the name of the El Placer farm high.