Territory-linked coffee quality in Lengupá Province (Boyacá, Colombia): a case study toward a Denomination of Origin

Abstract

Coffee quality associated with origin has traditionally been approached through geographical delimitations and technical product attributes, with less attention to the articulation between territory, production practices, and integrated expressions of quality. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyze the coffee-growing territory of Lengupá Province (Boyacá, Colombia) from the perspective of origin-linked differential quality, integrating territorial and productive characterization with a holistic notion of coffee quality, as a conceptual and technical basis for future research and for the discussion of a potential first Denomination of Origin centered on a coffee-producing microregion in Colombia. An exploratory study was conducted based on fieldwork with producers, characterization of the production system, physicochemical and sensory analysis of coffee beans, and microbiological characterization of the fermentation process. The results reveal a transversal coherence of coffee quality at the provincial scale, with comparable productive and quality profiles across municipalities and internal variability mainly associated with post-harvest management and process control decisions. From an integrated analytical perspective, coffee quality is interpreted as the expression of shared productive and fermentative styles rather than the result of isolated markers, supporting the understanding of Lengupá as a coffee-producing microregion with common agroecological, productive, and sociocultural foundations. Overall, the findings provide conceptual and technical evidence to discuss origin-based differentiation schemes grounded in territorial and productive coherences, and to advance the development of instruments for origin valorization and protection in small-scale coffee farming contexts.