Sourcing Detail BanExport has the touch for post-harvest strategies and cupping expertise that has brought many talented producers into the specialty coffee fold. Starting a model farm is just another extension of the desire to blaze a path for more specialty coffee from small farms in Colombia. And this particular lot is extra special because it comes from BanExport’s 10 acre model farm called Juan Martin located in the municipality of Sotará, Cauca. The focus at the farm is to learn best practices about everything from soil management to maximizing fertilizer inputs, how to cultivate particular varieties and carry out experimental processing that brings out the best cup profile, and build systems that respect workers and improve the quality of the work environment at all stages of the coffee supply chain. Processing Detail Following the advice BanExport has given to many producers, this lot of the Pink Bourbon variety was meticulously picked at its optimum point of ripeness. To protect the cherries after harvest, they are transported to the processing mill called Area 18 in plastic crates on a truck with environmental controls. At the carbon neutral mill, the coffee cherries are floated to sort out damaged and underripe fruit. The coffee cherry is also sorted with an electronic sorter that provides uniformity in color, shape and size. Next the coffee is depulped and placed in a sealed bioreactor to control for temperature and levels of oxygen during the 48 hour fermentation process. Then the coffee parchment is washed and taken to a drying chamber with state-of-the-art environmental controls where the moisture is reduced to 11 percent over a period of 48 hours of continuous drying. Exporting Details BanExport also has decades of experience preparing coffee for export. Their fully integrated process maintains the same detailed approach from harvest to export ensuring every lot has a consistent quality and traceability.
