Inside the Colombia Nursery Project
Interview with Lena Morales, Green Coffee Buyer at Cafe Nova
We sat down with Lena Morales, one of our green coffee buyers at Cafe Nova, to learn more about the Colombia Nursery Project — how it started, what makes it special, and why it's such an important part of our long-term sourcing efforts in Urrao.
How long did it take for the Nursery Project to begin producing coffee?
We started developing the nursery just over five years ago. A big part of that time was spent working closely with our partners in Colombia to decide which coffee variety would be the best fit — not just from a quality standpoint, but also from an environmental and community impact perspective. Urrao is a mountainous region with dry weather and occasional frost, so we needed a variety that could thrive in those conditions. And of course, we also wanted something that would stand out on the cupping table — a coffee that producers would be proud to grow and we’d be proud to share.
Which variety did you end up planting?
We chose a local variety called Caturra Chiroso. It really checked all the boxes. It’s resilient, high-yielding, relatively easy to harvest, and it delivers incredible flavor in the cup. The producers in Urrao were genuinely excited about it — and once we tasted the first harvests, so were we.
What makes Urrao such a unique region for a project like this?
Urrao is located in northern Colombia, and it's fairly remote. At first, that posed some logistical challenges, but in the end, the geography actually played to our advantage. It’s a dry, open region — which means there was no need to clear forested land to begin planting. That’s a major plus from a sustainability standpoint. The open terrain allowed us to start the nursery without disrupting the natural environment, which aligned perfectly with our values.
How does this project fit into Cafe Nova’s broader sourcing philosophy?
The nursery is a great example of what we call Ethical Origins — our commitment to working hand-in-hand with producers at origin, supporting long-term success beyond just a single harvest. This isn’t a one-time collaboration. Because we were involved from the very beginning — from selecting the variety to helping establish the nursery — we’re building relationships that will last for decades. If all goes well, we’ll be tasting and sharing coffee from these trees for the next 40 to 50 years. That kind of continuity is rare, and incredibly meaningful to us.
What does Ethical Origins mean to you personally?
To me, it is about connection — not just to the product, but to the people and the process behind it. It ties the entire journey together: from the very first stages of planting, all the way to the moment someone takes a sip at home or in one of our cafés. At Cafe Nova, we want our customers to know more than just what’s in their cup — we want them to understand where it comes from and who made it possible.
That kind of transparency helps build a better coffee world. Fair pricing, ethical sourcing, sustainable practices — all of it matters. But at the end of the day, it's also about something simple: great coffee from great people. That’s what Ethical Origins is all about. That’s what Cafe Nova is all about.
