Colombia - Jairo Arcila
about the producer.
Jairo Arcila has had a huge influence on specialty coffee in Quindío. He grew up around coffee on his father’s farm, but before he could afford to start his own he managed dry mills for one of Colombia’s largest exporters - a role he held for over 20 years. As he built his career supporting the milling and sorting of other producers’ coffee he was able to save money and put that into securing land and planting coffee. During this time global coffee prices were low and making a farm profitable was incredibly challenging - especially with a full time job.
After years of scraping by Jairo’s wife Luz Helena Salazar decided it was time to get involved. With a background in accounting Luz Helena took over the management of the farms and learned every detail of coffee production, working with the farm agronomists on the fertilization, planting and harvesting of the coffees. Under Luz Helena’s direction things turned around but the next chapter was still to come.
Jairo & Luz Helena have two sons, Felipe & Carlos Arcila. After school they both moved to Australia to pursue careers outside of coffee. Everything changed when they walked into a specialty cafe in Australia and saw the menu prices. How was it possible that a single coffee was being sold for so much more than a pound of green coffee? They started talking with roasters in Australia and sharing coffee from back home and getting feedback on the quality of the green coffee.
This was how they learned about specialty coffee and that there was a market for high quality coffee to be sold at higher prices direct to roasters. They went back home and began working with their parents and local farmers to raise the coffee quality and access this specialty market. This was the start of Cofinet, based out of Quindío, a network of quality focused coffee producers exporting directly to specialty coffee roasters.
What started in 2015 has flourished. Today Felipe & Carlos own and manage a processing facility called La Pradera where Cofinet producers can send their coffee for state of the art post-harvest processing by the Cofinet team. Cofinet also consults on farm practices and even provides seeds and nursery plants for producing partners to introduce new high end varieties to their farms. Regional and Exceptional lots from some of Colombia’s best producers travel through La Pradera and are sent all over the world. The change that this family has made possible is staggering and we are proud to share their coffees with our community.
about the coffee.
ANNIVERSARY WASHED GESHA
Jairo has now retired from managing dry mills, putting his whole focus into producing specialty coffees at his farms. This lot comes from his farm Santa Mónica in Armenia, Quindío. With the encouragement of Felipe and Carlos, Jairo was very early planting the Gesha variety in Colombia, which has been a long learning process. The lots they are producing now are exceptional, showcasing the classic florality and complex acidity that has made Gesha so sought after.
Only the ripest cherries are selected during harvesting, returning to each plant multiple times during the season. The day’s selections are gathered at Santa Mónica’s sorting area where the team hand-sorts the cherries for colour and then float sorts to eliminate any floating cherries that are low-density, underripe, or defective.
The ripe sorted cherries are then packaged in grainpro bags and transported to Cofinet’s processing centre, La Pradera. Here the cherries are sorted again before undergoing a 30 hour anaerobic fermentation underwater to keep the temperature cool. This controlled fermentation is carefully calibrated to develop the complexity and acidity of the profile in balance with the coffee’s sweetness. The result is a cup that is bright and lively supported by a round sweetness that is incredibly satisfying.
After fermentation the cherries are pulped and the parchment is washed to remove all the fruit material. This results in the coffee’s high clarity and clean finish. The washed coffee is then laid out on raised beds in Cofinet’s drying greenhouses. The parchment is carefully monitored by the team to ensure an even drying time for the lot.
cup profile.
rose | mandarin orange | white peach
The first thing we notice as we smell the coffee’s aroma is rich inviting florals of white roses and jasmine. The first sip is bursting with sweet orange and floral flavours. As we continue to drink delicate stone fruit and tropical notes build. The body is medium weight with a juicy texture that stays even and smooth through every sip.
