One Farm at a Time
Meet your Farming Community
Betico
This is incredible friend Beto, with whom we have worked from day one. His story of perseverance never stops inspiring us. In recent months, Betico planted this plant he holds, known as 'boton de oro.' It has many benefits for his farm. It is a natural barrier that protects his crop from pests or pesticides from neighboring farms. It also attracts pollinators, which increase his productivity.
Yesit
Yesit began producing the Java variety 4 years ago, and weβve been working together ever since. Together, we have experimented extensively with implementing new fermentation and drying protocols. Recently, we conducted lactic and alcoholic fermentations, which significantly improved their coffee's cupping score. We also visited them recently with the Magicians team, staying several nights, and learned a lot about specialty coffee production and agricultural practices.
Martin
Martin is 54 years old. The average age of coffee growers in Colombia is 57 years old, the countryside is aging and labor is scarce. Young people migrate to the city in search of better opportunities. One of our goals is to help our producers progress and for the new generations to see attractive opportunities to continue their coffee tradition. Today Martin's children work with us, producing specialty coffee, cupping and roasting coffee, and even opened their own shop in town.
Manolo
Since we began Desnudo 5 years ago, Manolo our cousin, is the one who has made all the magic possible. Manolo works tirelessly on the farms, building community in Huila, Colombia intrinsically connected to what we do here in Austin. Lately, Manolo has been working around the clock to build our new Education Center in Santa Maria, Huila, where we just hosted our first coffee excellence competition and invited more farmers to join us. If you live in Austin, be sure to say hello to Manolo when he comes to visit us closer to the holidays.
Bertil
Cacao, like coffee, has always been a part of us. We grew up in a small town where two crops reigned supreme: coffee and cacao. These werenβt just economic staplesβthey were integral to the culture and identity of our community. The fruit hangs heavy on its tree and comes in various colors, shapes, and sizes. When you slice it openβits skin so tough you need a knifeβyou find cacao beans coated in a sweet, tangy white pulp. When we traveled to Bertil's farm our team was shocked at the incredible amount of hard work that goes into growing and processing cacao.
Diego
Diego, one of the youngest coffee farmers we work with at just 28, inherited his coffee profession from his father, MartΓn. Together, theyβve explored various experimental processes to enhance coffee quality. Supporting young producers like Diego is important to us, especially as many young people move from rural areas to cities for better opportunities. Diego has also been integral in helping us kickstart our new Education Center in Colombia, where we tie education all the way from origin to our team in Austin.