December 7

Mertio coffee a first joined us in June 2019 to share our first specialty processing method. Black honey processed Castillo from Colombian producer Diofanor Ruiz. Diofanor remains the only producer we have featured twice.

Today we are honoured to have them back and sharing a coffee that means so much to so many people, but none more than Raw Material, Merito and the producers of Qundio. This coffee is quite literally the fruits of the community wet mill that has provided access to the specialty coffee market and the benefits that brings.

(Words by Merito) In 2016, we supported a Kickstarter campaign run by Raw Material to help fund the construction of a community wet mill in Quindío, Colombia. This project will provide the region's farmers with greater control over their coffee quality, and control over their income through a fixed price payment system. Investment in this kind of accessible infrastructure is one of the necessary steps to make good on the promise of development through trade.

Raw Material work with a network of smallholder farmers and dedicated global coffee buyers to facilitate trade at stable sustainable prices while improving coffee quality, yields and community outcomes. Doing this means communities should not only survive, they should thrive through producing coffee.

Pink Bourbon is the most mysterious of all the cultivars grown at El Fénix, it is a delight to behold. This lot stretches across the sun drenched crest of El Fénix. This dwarf variety sits dramatically smaller than its neighbours, but what is lacks in height it makes up for in yields of large pink-blushed cherries.

The lineage of this variety is not fully known, the characteristics are a nod to both Castillo and Caturra. The beans are elongated and large, which many attribute to Bourbon. But as for its vibrant colouring, this is a known recessive gene, where a protein in the cherry’s exocarp reveals itself in a pink colouring.

Along with delicious fruit notes you can expect a complimentary bouquet of floral notes too.

PEACH | WATERMELON | FLORAL

ORIGIN: Colombia

REGION: El Fenix

VARIETAL: Pink Bourbon

PROCESSING: Washed

ROAST DEGREE: Light

Grab yourself a bag here.

Photo credit: El Fenix.