Colombia - Diofanor Ruiz
about the producer.
Diofanor Ruiz is a legend in Quindio with a long history of managing other producers’ farms before establishing his own coffee production in 2005. Diofanor’s 14 hectare farm, La Divisa in Buenavista, Quindio is located at 1950 metres above sea level and it was here that Diofanor created a vision for specialty coffee production and inspired many others to pursue quality coffee.
Diofanor grew up in a traditional coffee producing family and learned the ropes from a young age. At this time in Colombia the majority of coffee farmers never tasted their own coffee, everything was sold for export in the commodity market. This all changed for Diofanor when he started La Divisa and was able to taste his own coffee for the first time. This experience was a pivotal moment that inspired Diofanor to change directions from conventional coffees towards specialty practices.
This focus on quality and accessing the specialty market has been hugely impactful in Quindio, inspiring other producers to do the same. At La Divisa, Diofanor improved the soil and resilience of the farm by planting banana, guava, mandarin and orange trees and taller native tree species like Guamo, Guayacanes and Tigua.
This kind of agroforestry where crop plants are surrounded by trees captures moisture and nutrients in the soil and contributes to better biodiversity and sustainability and improves the quality of the fruits.
about the coffee.
In 2017 Diofanor began working in partnership with Felipe & Carlos Arcila at Cofinet, our export partners in Colombia. While Diofanor has long been committed to producing Castillo, a variety developed for Colombian coffee production in response to leaf rust outbreaks, Felip & Carlos encouraged him to introduce new high end varieties to La Divisa like this Gesha - as well as Chiroso, Java, Sidra, Pink Bourbon, and Maragesha.
Gesha has become one of the world’s most sought after varieties known for offering delicate florals, sweet fruit notes and a clean cup. The variety is very challenging to cultivate, requiring high altitudes, ideal weather and additional nutrients from the soil. At 1950 metres above sea level and with Diofanor’s focus on agroforestry to develop rich soil, La Divisa has excellent conditions for Gesha to thrive.
Diofanor’s work with Cofinet has also refined his post harvest processing techniques to develop detailed protocols for washed, honey and natural processing. This lot is the washed anaerobic process that Cofinet developed at their processing facility La Pradera and that Diofanor has adopted at his own micromill at La Divisa. Carefully hand-picked ripe cherries go through a 2 stage sorting at the farm.
The selected cherries are then sealed in sacks and submerged in water for a 30 hour underwater anaerobic fermentation. This controlled cool fermentation ensures a clean and vibrant cup. The cherries are then pulped and washed to remove all fruit material and spread out in the parabolic driers to ensure a consistent temperature and tight controls. The result is a classic Gesha profile - floral, bright, and clean.
cup profile.
hibiscus | nectarine | milk punch
Diofanor Ruiz’ Gesha showcases the classic floral profile with soft fruit sweetness. Along with white flowers we get tart notes of hibiscus and stone fruit sweetness of nectarine. The body is medium and round with a lactic quality. The finish is long lasting with notes of sweet milk punch and vanilla.
