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I first met Jose in October of 2014 while cupping coffees in Pitalito, Colombia. Auspiciously, he was introduced to me as one of the hardest-working producers in the region. During this first meeting, I was instantly impressed by Jose’s demeanour and thirst for knowledge. This offering is his third harvest of the rare Pink Bourbon variety, and it is so, so good! He planted the coffee near his home and has been carefully tending it for several years.
I visited Jose in early 2015 and learned more about him. He was born on a coffee farm and first learned about coffee from his father. When he was 16 Jose decided to leave the farm, and ended up becoming a bus driver. He did this for over a decade until he decided to return to the home, buy the farm from his dad, and follow in his footsteps.
Although he now regrets temporarily leaving the farm, he feels the time away developed a fire within him to become a better coffee producer. This fire is evident when visiting his farm. It is not over-planted nor deprived of natural shade, as is very common in Colombia. The trees are healthy and well pruned. He has planted mostly Caturra, but has some Typica and Tabi trees that he is beginning to experiment with. He has also recently planted Bourbon, Geisha, SL-28 and an Ethiopian Heirloom.
During my second visit in 2015, I was once again impressed by Jose’s work ethic and commitment. Jose built a large and impressive shaded drying structure with a creative curtain system to control the airflow, which is key to drying coffee well. During this visit, I spent more time admiring Jose’s farm and realized that this tiny region of Colombia actually retained many of the original shade trees, something that is rare for Colombia. I believe this plays a role in the exceptional cup quality that Jose produces.
During my most recent visits, I found that the improvements at the farm have continued. In true Jose style, he has gone above and beyond and has turned his drying structure into a hyper clean facility. The pre-drying area under the raised dryer (where coffee is shade-dried for 10-12 days) normally has dirt floor or, at best, grass. Jose decided to do it right and poured concrete on the floor and would like to lay tile one day, when the budget allows.
In June, 2016, we signed a long-term contract with Jose where we are committing to buy nearly his entire harvest at high prices. Jose and his wife Francy were delighted, grateful, and excited for this contract. As a company who spends a great deal of money and time visiting producers, there is no greater feeling than seeing a producer happy with our business arrangement and proud to work hard to make great coffee. This coffee was frozen immediately on its arrival in Calgary, to preserve freshness.
-Sebastian
