In the western region of Huila, near the peaks of the Central Cordillera of Colombia, you'll find Paicol- a town with a storied past. In 1810, it was declared an official town and boasts beautiful Colonial architecture and cobbled roads. Paicol was initially mentioned in 1701 due to two large haciendas that produced panela in the "trapiches" - Villa Rosa & Villa Nury - earning it the name "Trapiche de Paicol". 

Paicol is a renowned municipality with a thriving ecotourism industry and two main agricultural industry sectors: cattle and coffee. With its semi-mountainous terrain and numerous water sources, the humidity levels in the soil at higher elevations is a boon for agriculture. These water sources, coupled with the Paez River, have resulted in the formation of captivating tourist hot spots such as Motilona Waterfall and Caja de Agua, an assemblage of caves with mini waterfalls. The locale hosts lush native forests and a wide variety of native trees.

The trapiche is the mill used to extract the juice from sugar cane, heated to high temperatures to produce panela bricks. Today, it's common for coffee growers to cultivate both coffee and sugar cane, with a small trapiche to obtain fresh juice or else sell their sugar cane for panela production in centralized trapiches.

ALTITUDE : 1300 - 1700 masl

ORIGIN : Paicol, Huila, Colombia

VARIETAL: Castillo, Colombia, Caturra

PROCESSING : Washed

FARMER: Los Trapiches - 20 Small Holders

NOTES: Berry, Brown Sugar, Apricot