Colombia

Farm

 Finca Río Negro is located in the Acevedo region of Huila at 1,650 meters above sea level. It is a family farm with roots going back to the 1960s and 70s, when the parents of today’s farmer — themselves children of coffee growers — moved to the Huila region from Colombia’s Eje Cafetero. They were still teenagers when they began a new life on this land with their families. It was then that Río Negro was established, purchased by their grandfather and later taken over by his son, the current farmer. Despite the many challenges of coffee cultivation, they have managed to maintain the farm and continue producing exceptional coffee to this day.

 Initially, the farm grew mainly traditional Colombia and Caturra varieties, along with smaller amounts of local cultivars. Over time, they renovated the farm, replacing them with higher-quality and more interesting varieties. In recent years, the focus has been on specialty cultivars such as Pink Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Tabi, and others. Today, the farm produces around 30,000 kg of coffee annually, most of it at specialty grade.

 The farmer grew up on this very farm. From childhood, he watched his parents work the fields, and coffee naturally became a central part of his life. His desire to elevate the quality of their coffee led him to experiment with fermentation. Their goal was to create a coffee that is distinct, memorable, yet approachable — one where even a casual drinker can recognize the flavors and distinguish it from others.

 The farm is run by Jhon Rodríguez together with his wife Luz Marína Gómez and their children, Jhony Esteban and Victoria. This is a family that lives coffee every day.

Processing

 This coffee is a washed process with controlled lactic fermentation. After pulping (removal of the cherry skin and part of the pulp), the beans with mucilage are placed into sealed tanks without oxygen (anaerobic environment). There are two main lactic fermentation methods currently used by producers: either inoculation with a specific LAB (lactic acid bacteria) starter culture, or using a 2–3% salt solution. The goal is to promote the dominance of Lactobacillus bacteria, which convert sugars from the mucilage into lactic acid. Fermentation lasts a minimum of 80 hours, often 80–120+ hours, under strictly controlled temperature and pH conditions.

 Lactic fermentation follows the same principle as making yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, certain cheeses, or kombucha.

 After fermentation, the beans are thoroughly washed to remove any remaining mucilage and then dried under controlled conditions.

 The result is a significantly creamier body, high sweetness, very round low-to-medium acidity, and characteristic flavors like tropical fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple), yogurt, vanilla, butter, and delicate floral notes. The profile is clean, juicy, and complex — often described as “pineapple or papaya yogurt in a cup.