(Kitco News) Collective Mining is advancing its Ramp Zone discovery in Colombia toward a maiden mineral resource estimate in the first half of 2027, as drilling continues to expand the system at depth and along the margins of the Apollo breccia.
Speaking with Kitco Mining’s Investment Trends, Executive Chair Ari Sussman said the company is prioritizing growth in the shallow portion of Apollo and within the high-grade Ramp Zone, areas he described as logical starting points in a future mining scenario. “We’re hoping to drill somewhere between five to 7 million ounces in our maiden resource,” he said.
The interview followed the Feb. 24, 2026, news release in which Collective reported 54.55 metres grading 7.04 g/t gold and 16 g/t silver from directional hole APC150-D1 at Ramp, with assays pending for another 370.25 metres. The intercept sits approximately 1,200 metres below surface within a system that now hosts continuous mineralization from surface to more than 1,450 vertical metres, according to the company.
Sussman said the latest drilling reflects a shift in orientation designed to test the breccia margins from a new direction. “It’s the first time we’ve drilled a ramp from the south in a northeastern direction,” he said, adding that visual logging suggests mineralization may extend around the outer circumference of the structure.
Collective has confirmed 315 metres of high-grade mineralization along the southeast margin of the breccia, with roughly 1,200 metres of additional strike yet to be tested. The company also reported visual logging of more than 20 metres of potential Ramp-style mineralization from its first hole on the western margin, with assay results expected in late March 2026.
Recent drilling at depth has delivered some of the strongest grades reported from Ramp to date, Sussman said, referencing a previously announced deep intercept. “The deeper we’ve gone, the better the grades,” he said, while cautioning that continued drilling will determine whether that trend persists.
Collective plans to drill up to 100,000 metres in 2026, which Sussman described as “our biggest year we’ve ever had in terms of drilling.” The company reported US$135 million in cash as of Dec. 1, 2025 and said in its recent release that it is fully funded for the year, with up to fourteen rigs expected to be operating before the end of the first quarter.
Sussman said investor discussions have increasingly focused on Colombia’s presidential election, with a new president expected to be named by June 2026 and to take office in August. He also pointed to broader industry dynamics. “There are virtually no seriously large discoveries right now in the Americas,” he said, arguing that major producers face long-term growth constraints.
For now, the company remains focused on drilling and advancing toward its first formal resource estimate.
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