Familia
This is our life and we love sharing it with you
Our History
“Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.” L. Weed
Words by
María Teresa Londoño Ramírez, “La mamá.”
1950
Arcesio Londoño, my father, had a partnership with 2 other people and they bought Guayabal, a coffee land located in the municipality of Chinchiná on the Chuscal village.
1962
The partners liquidated the company and my father kept it. Since then Guayabal has been the amusement site of my whole family, and to which all the friends of my family visited.
My father dedicated himself to maintaining the coffee cultivation, setting up the beneficiary (the coffee process) and the set up the dryers in the back of the main house. My mother dedicated to beautify the house and its surroundings.
1979
An earthquake with epicenter in the city of Popayán, affected us a lot, it burst some columns of the main house, my dad tore down the house and rebuilt it for us.
It is the house we have today but few modifications have been made. When tourists arrive the house causes an impact on them because it is very modern compared to the locals, they do not have corridors or wood like the old ones, but the rest of the surroundings have a beautiful typical touch, so the first impression they had is rapidly forgotten.
1984 – 96
My mother died in 1984 and my dad in the year 1996. After my father’s death, we had to split some properties among the six sisters and I got Guayabal.
Then the coffee crisis hit us and I thought about having an alternate production line besides coffee. First thing that came up to my mind was ‘tourism’; there were difficult times and I had 6 children to raise. Some times I felt so desperate but when I started seeing people’s satisfaction after having a good time in la Hacienda, for me that was the best reward.
I do remember this time when I thought about creating a coffee tour. I wanted something simple, almost handmade way with the help of some friends who motivated me to not give up. Carlos Ocampo, a close friend, kept on pushing me. He christened the tour as “A magical transit and bean to the cup.”.
Later on, two of my children started helping out with the farm and the coffee tour. Irene and Jorge. Irene’s always been by my side and Jorge joined her afterwards. They run the farm nowadays. They’ve added that kick that catches peoples’ attention.
One of my parents’ dreams and legacies was always to take care of waters that run through Guayabal, the mountains. We’re today proud to say that because of all the effort we’ve put in to preserve the natural environment, we have the chance welcome a vast variety of birds that reach even the main house.
English