Care on the farm - Clarity in the cup.
Our approach is simple: careful farming, selective harvesting, and thoughtful processing. All cherries are hand-picked, ensuring only the best fruit is selected. Our team is skilled and focused on quality at every step.
Our harvesting team is valued and cared for. We invest in them, provide fair remuneration for their work, and, wherever possible, minimise their workload — for example, by using automated processes to move coffee between hoppers. The result? Everyone on the farm takes pride in their work and is personally invested in the quality of our coffee.
They truly care about our shared values and are committed to responsible practices such as rainwater collection and recycling during processing, and long-term soil management.
It's not about shortcuts — it's about doing things properly, season after season.
Presenting Finca Guayacanes and Altéa Coffee.
Finca Guayacanes
It all begins here in the beautiful mountains of Antioquia, at 1,900 metres between sun, clouds and mist. Where coffee is not only grown… It is lived.
Our farm
Explore the unique characteristics of the beans we cultivate on our farm.
Castillo
Known for its balanced sweetness and smooth body, Castillo offers notes of caramel, gentle citrus, and soft chocolate. Thriving in Colombia’s high-altitude conditions, this resilient variety produces a consistent, high-quality bean that reflects both careful cultivation and a commitment to sustainable farming.
Coming soon...
We have some exciting partnerships taking shape. Through our strong relationships within the industry and with farms whose processes we know and respect, we are exploring new collaborations for Altéa. Stay tuned - we look forward to sharing more news soon!
About the Guayacanes Farm
Hidden in the high-altitude mists above Medellín, Finca Guayacanes has been the soul of our production for two generations.
Finca Guayacanes is located at 1,900 meters above sea level in the Vereda del Uvital, Fredonia, Antioquia – Colombia. The property covers 11 hectares, planted at a density of approximately 7,000 coffee trees per hectare.
The farm complies with EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) requirements. The main coffee variety cultivated is Castillo, the most widely used and promoted variety by the Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers, recognized for its resilience, productivity, and consistent cup quality.
Harvest & Processing
The farm produces approximately 400 sacks of coffee per year (60 kg per sack). Around 50% of the annual production is harvested between October and December, which corresponds to the peak of the main harvest season.
The secondary harvest (Traviesa), during the first semester, which usually yields larger and well-developed beans.
All coffee is processed using a washed process, ensuring clean, bright, and consistent flavour profiles. We operate our own processing facility where coffee cherries are handled carefully through to parchment, with fermentation times adapted to suit each client’s preferred profile.
As producers, we have the ability to make any adjustments needed, whether through special harvesting, or fermentation to suit your preference and to deliver a coffee that lives up to your standards and unique brand.
Commercialisation
So far, the majority of the coffee produced at Finca Guayacanes is sold to the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC). A smaller portion is reserved for our own brand, Del Uvital. With this last venture came the pride of full traceability from farm to cup and this motivates us today to create trusting and lasting partnerships with roasters in Ireland, sharing the coffee we cared for and loved from the very beginning and putting it straight into your hands.
Our Land
The unique volcanic soil of Antioquia combined with the dramatic shift in mountain temperatures creates a profile of extraordinary balance.
Our Work
Every cherry is hand-harvested by our dedicated farm team. Our harvesting methods focus on peak ripeness, ensuring quality that only true expertise can produce.
Our Future
We prioritize biodiversity and long-term soil management, preserving the heritage of Guayacanes for the next generation of Altéa families.
What began as childhood friends growing up on the Guayacanes farm has blossomed into Altéa.
We are two families: Ral, Johanna and Alejandro and Mile, growing together just as we did as children. Ral and Alejandro have been running around the Guayacanes, which is Alejandro’s family farm, since knee high. They have many stories to tell and the fondest memories of this farm which has been in Alejandro’s family since the 1980s. Today our own children have the best weekends together on the Guayacanes property.
Mile also joined the fold as a childhood friend, and over the years her journey became deeply intertwined with both family and tradition. Today, she and Alejandro are married and share two lovely daughters. After dedicating the past few years to raising their girls, Mile launched her own coffee brand, Café Del Uvital, crafted from Guayacanes beans and marketed in Medellin. Alejandro’s professional path also leads back to the land. With his extensive postgraduate studies in agriculture with a focus on coffee and cacao, his work reflects both heritage and passion.
Johanna, originally from Westport in County Mayo, Ireland became part of the family seven years ago when she married Ral. They first met while living in Vietnam, where they also developed a shared appreciation for strong Vietnamese coffee. After several years of travelling the world together, they chose to settle and raise their son in the lush green mountains above Medellín - a place they love deeply. They longed to create a project that would connect them to both of their lands while allowing for more time with family - especially grandparents - on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ral is a true Paisa at heart with a strong passion for the land, the environment and lowering our impact on it wherever possible. During their travels together, he worked on various sustainable projects notably spending five years managing a permaculture-based yoga and accommodation retreat in Thailand, helping to build and oversee the fully sustainable project.
As the four of us spoke more about our dreams, it quickly became clear that an opportunity was taking shape. It offered a way for Ral and Johanna to connect with the market and life back in Ireland, for Mile to pursue her passion for coffee, and for Alejandro's heritage and the Guayacanes farm to embrace a renewed purpose through the next generation.
Together, this shared vision has grown into something meaningful for each of us — a project rooted in family, heritage, and a passion for the lands that bring our stories together.
Our Story
Our Purpose
The Families Behind Altéa
Altéa is a bridge between the mountains of Medellín and the coast of Ireland, born from the lifelong friendship of two couples who are more like family than business partners.
Our mission is to give a family heritage a new purpose, creating a project that connects our two homes while sharing the coffee we love with roasters across the Atlantic.
Ragid Corena Giraldo and Johanna O'Connell: Sales Team
Alejandro Gill and Ana Milena Gaviria -Gil: Production & Coffee Experts