Lemongrass, Passion Fruit, Brown Sugar
Farm: Granja Paraíso 92
Producer: Wilton Benitez
Country: Colombia
Region: Piendamo, Cauca
Elevation: 1,950 masl
Variety: Red Bourbon
Processing: Washed (Decaffeinated)
Sourced Through: Far More
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Wilton Benitez is a highly specialised Colombian coffee producer with a lifetime of experience in the production and processing of exotic coffee, with a plethora of awards for the quality of his coffees. Today Wilton has a processing plant in the Department of Cauca and two small farms (one in Cauca and the other in Risaralda). His farms meet the highest standards of quality and control and social practice. Granja Paraíso 92 is a family farm that has different varieties such as Java, Bourbon Pink, Geisha, Pacamara, Caturra, Tabi, Castillo, Supremo and Colombia. They use highly innovative cultivation systems such as terraces and drip irrigation. It has its own laboratories to calculate all the details from shade to nutrition with scientific efficiency - all aimed at producing incredibly unique and aromatic coffees.
The processes applied to the different coffees start from a strict selection, sterilisation and characterisation of the cherry. Next is the first phase of controlled anaerobic fermentation, where a specific microorganism is added for each process. After that, the coffee is pulped and subjected to a second fermentation phase which is followed by a bean sealing process that is carried out through impacts of hot and cold water to improve the organoleptic conditions of the coffee.
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Wet-Hulled : There are many variations on the details of Wet-Hulled process based on the particular mill, but the basic principles of the process remain fairly constant: In Sumatra, the coffee is picked and depulped, then it is traditionally sold to a collector or broker, who will sell it to a mill. After it's purchased by the mill, it will be washed and pre-dried for 8–12 hours or until it reaches roughly 35% moisture content, at which point it is hulled. It is then fully dried without its parchment until it reaches a state that is appropriate for export, 10–12% moisture.
Armiyadi is in its third generation of cultivating Gayo coffee. It was first run by the owner's grandfather and second by his father. This 3-hectare farm has about 4,000 coffee plants per hectare. The farm uses a unique hedge planting system instead of the traditional system to maximize the number of trees per hectare. This allows for the high number of coffee trees per hectare and helps to increase overall coffee production. Sufficient shade is mandatory for the farm, and to maintain soil fertility, they use goat and cow manure fermented with coffee skin waste. The farm is also home to Lamtoro, banana, orange, avocado, and jackfruit trees among others.
After picking the cherry is pulped and allowed to ferment for 12 hours. Then it is washed four times and dried until the moisture content reaches 35%. From there it is hulled and left to dry again to reach 12% moisture. Lastly, it is sorted.
This farm has become a place of learning. They provide coffee education on the farm and share educational content via Instagram. Because their planting system is new and innovative, many farmers are also starting to follow this fence planting method. The owner hopes that the farm will be able to produce 2-4 tons of green beans per year so it can improve the welfare of the coffee farmers and encourage the younger generation to want to start coffee farming again.
Nougat , Earl Grey , White Peach
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Haru, Yirgacheffee
Elevation: 1,970 masl
Varieties: Landraces 74110,74112 & 74165
Processing: Washed
Sourced Through: Upstream Coffee
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In southern Ethiopia, within the Gedeo zone, lies the village of Haru, where the waters of the Goto River nourish the coffee cultivation. Here, 2820 smallholder farmers cultivated coffee in their backyards and delivered their harvest to the Harusuke washing station. Owned by Abreham Mengiste, the Harusuke washing station was established in 2017. Coffee grown in Ethiopia is naturally organic, as landrace varieties harmonise with the environment, providing organic fertiliser and natural pest control. This particular variety is well known for its small bean size. Luckily, in this case, good things come in small packages! Elevated acidity and dense complex fruits are well known attributes of the variety and growing altitude that should be embraced and not feared! During harvest, only red cherries are hand-picked. The coffee is depulped within 8 to 12 hours of being harvested and is transferred to fermentation tanks. There, floats are removed before the coffee is left to ferment for 48 to 72 hours. Following fermentation, the coffee is washed to remove the mucilage and placed in a drying tank for 12 hours before moving to African drying beds. The drying process takes 8 to 10 days, with hand-picking and rotation to ensure uniform drying. Supervisors oversee the operations to maintain quality. Once the coffee’s moisture content reaches 10 to 12%, it is moved to a warehouse in Addis Ababa. The cleaning process starts with pre-cleaning to remove foreign materials, followed by hulling and polishing to remove the parchment and silver skin. The coffee is then sorted by screen size and density, with defects separated using colour sorters before being bagged in Grainpro for export. Local coffees have received the 2018 African Fine Coffees Association’s Taste of Harvest award. This coffee is sourced from our partner, Primrose Coffee, a vertically integrated company with 20 years of experience in Ethiopian green coffee exports and a proud member of the Ethiopian Chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance.
---Blueberry, Lemon and Raw Sugar
Country: Ethiopia
Region: Sidamo, Bensa, Shantawene
Elevation: 2,100 masl
Varieties: JARC 74167
Processing: Natural
Sourced Through: Utopia Coffee
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Lunke Zegeye Dayechew enforces strict quality control measures at his farm, where red
cherries are carefully sorted upon arrival to remove immature and over-ripened ones before pulping.
The cherries are pulped within six hours of harvesting and dried on special
raised African beds to ensure even airflow for optimal drying. To prevent mould and
fermentation, the cherries are regularly turned during drying. Once properly dried, the
outer skin and flesh are mechanically removed, and the green coffee is allowed to "rest" before being exported.
The natural forests in the area are not just a scenic backdrop, but a vital local food source. They particularly provide the Ventricosum plant, also known as 'Enset’ or ‘false banana,' which is abundant in the Sidama region. Enset, a large non-woody plant, plays a significant role in the local food supply, highlighting the importance of preserving these natural ecosystems for sustainable agriculture.
Lunke Zegeye Dayechew is dedicated to environmentally friendly farming practices, using natural materials and avoiding pesticides and chemicals in agricultural production.
