Crown Jewel Colombia Chapacual Fabian Villota Raised Bed Dried – 1 Lb

Coffee Background

Milton Fabian Villota Pizarro, or simply “Fabian” as he is known to friends and family, is 43 years old and a fourth-generation farmer. Fabian along with most of his relatives grew only corn, beans, and wheat prior to planting coffee for the first time 6 years ago on the 4-hectare farm called El Recreo which he manages with his father. In addition to Caturra, the family also cultivates Typica, Colombia, Castillo, and most recently Cenicafe 1, a recent improvement on the Castillo hybrid, each on a unique plot. Coffee has not overtaken everything, however: the family maintains commercial crops of local peas and milk cows, as well as subsistence crops for the extended family. 

As is the norm across Colombia, the Villota family processes everything on their own estate. After careful hand-harvesting, the coffee is de-pulped and fermented for 24 hours, washed, and then spread onto raised screen beds to dry, a process that typically takes 8 to 12 days. 

Chapacual is one of the veredas within the municipality of Yacuanquer, perched on the southern slope of the formidable Galeras stratovolcano, a central fixture in this part of the Nariño department and whose continuous activity, documented since the 16th century, plays a significant role in the region’s terroir. Many of the farmers in Yacuanquer are “new” to coffee, having traditionally grown beans, carrots, cabbage, wheat, peas, corn, or potatoes, and coffee is a recent convert for the younger generation of farm owners here. 

And coffee, as you would expect in these conditions, is absolutely thriving. The young trees, still in their first decade in Yacuanquer’s fertile volcanic soils, intense sunshine, wide diurnal temperature swings, and in their youthful vigor, are very productive, and the intensity comes through in the cup. Many of the new coffee fields are densely planted with little shade, as the climate does the work of thinning sunlight and there is ample cloud cover. There's a lot of promise here. The famers, perhaps new to coffee but certainly not new to commercial growing in such an environment, are receiving a lot of encouragement. 

Azahar Coffee, the sourcing company and exporter of Fabian’s coffee, originally began as a specialty roaster and coffee boutique in Bogotá serving Colombia’s top quality microlots to a developing local consumer base. In time, Azahar began making international connections to their farmer contacts and exporting green coffee, with top traceability and ambitious price transparency, to select buyers in a few northern markets. 

The business has evolved to what is now a very sophisticated exporting model. Azahar partners with local grower organizations to identify coffees and producers of the highest potential, pull these aside from the usual export stream, and market them directly to buyers internationally on a quality-based pricing scale. The net effect of the intervention is often significantly more money than a farm could receive without the added exposure and marketing. Through Azahar, countless farms and communities are being uncovered and sold globally with traceability not experienced before. And prices follow: the average farm gate price farmers receive is 25-50% above Colombia’s federal price. This particular lot was purchased at a farm gate price of COP 1,600,000 per carga (125kg of parchment coffee), roughly $1.91 per pound for milled green coffee. 

On the cupping table, we lauded the Villota family’s efforts. The cup is lush and juicy, mandarin orange and pomegranate come to mind, with hints of dried cranberries and baking spice. There’s a whisper of hibiscus and basil on the top end, and a delightful even sweetness and balanced finish. It’s a coffee that toes the line between comfort and complexity elegantly, both thrilling for the seasoned roaster and perfect for pairing with wool socks and warm blankets.