234 | El Mango / Gesha / Natural

Producer
Gilberto Giraldo
Description
Maple syrup, floral, jasmin, spices, honey
Process
Natural
Varietals
Gesha
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
1,800 meters
Position
ETA: April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Like other farms in the area, Gilberto and El Mango have experienced a couple of challenging years. Dramatic climate changes in the last few years have diminished the production yield considerably. On top of that, the resurgence of activity among armed illegal groups in the region led to multiple displacements from the farm, including once during the harvest last year.

While these obstacles proved difficult to overcome, Gilberto took them in stride and is still planning for the upcoming years. He has new varietals like Chirosos and Pink Bourbon, that are mature now and is excited to experiment with different processing methods. His unwavering commitment to El Mango is evident and we are equally committed to riding out the ups and downs with him.

233 | El Mango / Chiroso Natural

Producer
Gilberto Giraldo
Description
Maple syrup, floral, molasses, cola, chocolate
Process
Natural
Varietals
Chiroso
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
1,800 meters
Position
ETA: April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Like other farms in the area, Gilberto and El Mango have experienced a couple of challenging years. Dramatic climate changes in the last few years have diminished the production yield considerably. On top of that, the resurgence of activity among armed illegal groups in the region led to multiple displacements from the farm, including once during the harvest last year.

While these obstacles proved difficult to overcome, Gilberto took them in stride and is still planning for the upcoming years. He has new varietals like Chirosos and Pink Bourbon, that are mature now and is excited to experiment with different processing methods. His unwavering commitment to El Mango is evident and we are equally committed to riding out the ups and downs with him.

130 | El Edén / Gesha

Producer
Francisco Giraldo
Description
Floral, lemongrass, honey, citrus
Process
Washed
Varietals
Gesha
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
1,900 meters
Position
April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Our strong relationship with Francisco has helped us work through some particularly challenging times over the past two years. A resurgence of activity among illegal paramilitary groups in the area had a direct impact on the farmers and their families. With multiple displacements during the harvest, Francisco and his wife, Amparo, were forced to leave cherries in the fields, pack their belongings, and move the family to the nearest town in search of safety.

Francisco continues to look towards the future and it does not surprise us that he remains so dedicated in the face of adversity. He has lived through many years of armed conflict and fell victim to a landmine himself in 2009. Lucky to escape with his life, he lost one eye as well as his sense of taste and smell. However, his dedication to his coffee never faltered. He grew up working with coffee alongside his father at El Edén and chose to continue the legacy after his father passed away.

215 | Santa Ana – Pink Bourbon

Producer
Brayan Meneses
Description
Sweet, molasses, grape, floral
Process
Washed, sun-dried
Varietals
Pink Bourbon
Region
Nariño
Elevation
1,960 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
At 33 years of age, Brayan is part of the new generation of coffee growers. He is one of the youngest farmers we work with, but that does not mean he is lacking in knowledge. He learned everything he knows about coffee from his grandfather and has fond memories of going to help in the coffee fields after school.

In addition to his hands-on coffee education, Brayan also completed school as a computer technician and wants to pursue a degree in agronomy. With this higher grade of education, he is able to look at the industry from a different perspective. He saw the need to shift from more traditional coffee harvesting to specialty coffee production about 4 years ago and is using his knowledge to improve quality on every level. Since then, he has participated in several competitions in the region over the last couple of years and has placed in the top 10 every time.

202 | ARANGO DECAF E.A.

Producer
La Miranda Community
Description
Sweet, sugar cane, caramel, chocolate
Process
Washed
Varietals
Castillo, Colombia
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
1,800 to 1,900 meters
Position
Spot
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
La Miranda is a small community located in Ituango, Antioquia, Colombia. The region is rich in fertile soils and beautiful landscapes that produce excellent coffee. However, the beauty and the remoteness of the region comes with its own challenges. For the last 40 years, this region has struggled with violence. Massacres, displacements, and extortions have made coffee farming very difficult. We have a lot of respect for people that persist and still grow coffee in these conditions. It’s also amazing to us that farmers can produce the quality of coffees that we are getting under these difficult conditions.
The lots that we selected for the decaffeination process are solid 86+ coffees. We cupped the coffees again after the E.A. decaffeination process and we were very please with the results.
We understand that when people ask for decaf coffee they do it because the flavor not the caffeine. We shouldn’t neglect decaf coffee anymore and we should treat it with respect for people that produce it as well as people that drink it. That is our goal with our decaf program.

 

33 | El Mango

Producer
Gilberto Giraldo
Description
Maple syrup, sugar cane, dry fruit, chocolate
Process
Washed
Varietals
Colombia, Castillo
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
1,800 meters
Position
ETA: April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Like other farms in the area, Gilberto and El Mango have experienced a couple of challenging years. Dramatic climate changes in the last few years have diminished the production yield considerably. On top of that, the resurgence of activity among armed illegal groups in the region led to multiple displacements from the farm, including once during the harvest last year.

While these obstacles proved difficult to overcome, Gilberto took them in stride and is still planning for the upcoming years. He has new varietals like Chirosos and Pink Bourbon, that are mature now and is excited to experiment with different processing methods. His unwavering commitment to El Mango is evident and we are equally committed to riding out the ups and downs with him.

179 | La Fortuna – Chiroso

Producer
Maximiliano Vargas
Description
Floral, maple syrup, spices
Process
Washed
Varietals
Chiroso
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
2,100meters
Position
ETA: April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey

Maximiliano has been working with coffee since 2,000. He is grateful coffee gave him the opportunity to provide for his four now grown children and for his wife when she was alive. Maximiliano’s wife Maria Estela died in 2020. Maximiliano has 3,500 chriroso trees at La Fortuna. In 2021 Maximiliano participated in a coffee competitions with his coffee and placed in the top 10.
Maximiliano explains that he is very meticulous with his coffee processing, he picked one day, depulped 24 hours later, let the coffee sit in the fermentation tank for 72 hours, before washing it.
Maximiliano is planning on making some improvements at his farm starting with his drying facilities and also his wet beneficio. He believes these improvements will allow him to improve even more the quality of his coffee.


68 | El Silencio – Chiroso

Producer
Jose Flores
Description
Vibrant, citrus, caramel, peach, floral
Process
Washed
Varietals
Chiroso
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
2,050 meters
Position
ETA: April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
A farmer all his life, José only shifted to coffee production when he purchased El Silencio nine years ago. The small farm is home to him and his wife, Martha Lucia, and is planted with 5,000 coffee trees. Of those trees, only 2,500 are old enough to produce coffee now.

The decision to operate on a smaller scale was deliberate. All of the coffee planted at El Silencio is the delicate chiroso varietal. While it is more susceptible to disease, José believes the risk pays off with the quality of the cup. By keeping his farm small, José can monitor all stages of the harvest and processing carefully to assure the health of his plants and the caliber of his coffee. 

15 | El Mango – Pink Bourbon

Producer
Gilberto Giraldo
Description
Floral, honey, tea, stone fruit
Process
Washed
Varietals
Chiroso
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
1,800 meters
Position
ETA: April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
Like other farms in the area, Gilberto and El Mango have experienced a couple of challenging years. Dramatic climate changes in the last few years have diminished the production yield considerably. On top of that, the resurgence of activity among armed illegal groups in the region led to multiple displacements from the farm, including once during the harvest last year.

While these obstacles proved difficult to overcome, Gilberto took them in stride and is still planning for the upcoming years. He has new varietals like Chirosos and Pink Bourbon, that are mature now and is excited to experiment with different processing methods. His unwavering commitment to El Mango is evident and we are equally committed to riding out the ups and downs with him.

63 | La Divisa – Caturra

Producer
William Rueda
Description
Sweet, floral, honey, apple
Process
Washed
Varietals
Caturra
Region
Antioquia
Elevation
2,200 meters
Position
ETA: April, 2025
Warehouse
Continental, New Jersey
William has been working with coffee all his life. Coffee has given William the opportunity of providing for his family. He lives at La Divisa with his wife Gloria and their three children Juan, Maria y Emanuel. William wants his children to continue the family tradition of growing coffee. He is helping them to grow their own small lots of coffee.

Wilmar lives at La Loma with his wife, Erika, and two daughters, Valentina and Luciana. He has been working with coffee for about 17 years but is only beginning his journey into specialty coffee. He is diving right in and already making improvements to enhance the quality of his coffee. We are very excited about our new relationship with Wilmar and see a lot of potential. The location of the farm, at over 2,000 meters above sea level, and the coffee varietals grown already bring a lot to the table. The future at La Loma is certainly bright.