Caldas
UNESCO Coffee Cultural Landscape with 'world's best smooth coffee' from Aguadas/Salamina, plus thermal springs and $5M FDI in 2024.
The volcanic slopes around Manizales produce what the municipalities of Aguadas and Salamina claim is 'the best smooth coffee in the world.' Caldas forms one corner of Colombia's Coffee Cultural Landscape—a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011—where microclimates between 1,200 and 1,800 meters elevation create ideal Arabica conditions. The capital hosts the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers, Almacafé, and Cenicafé research institutions.
Beyond coffee, Caldas has one of Colombia's most diverse and fastest-growing economies. Manufacturing hubs in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and metalworking cluster around Manizales. FDI reached $5 million in 2024, creating 800 jobs. The volcanic activity of Nevado del Ruiz supplies thermal springs that draw wellness tourists to Santa Rosa de Cabal and remote villages. Ecotourism has grown as visitors seek authentic farm experiences.
The 2024–2027 development plan prioritizes roads, education, and health infrastructure. By 2026, Caldas will test whether its diversification—from coffee to manufacturing to thermal tourism—provides resilience against climate variability affecting yields, or whether the department remains vulnerable to the same commodity cycles that have shaped the Eje Cafetero since the 19th century.