David Berrio's 1.5 hectare (3.7 acre) garden is by far the most remote site we've worked with in Urrao. This separation is from his late harvest, and sings of ripe tropical fruits with a lively acidity and berry-like complexity.
Chiroso
Urrao, Antioquia
2,100 masl
February, 2023
Hand-picked at peak ripeness. Floated to further remove defects. Held in sacks for up to two days. Transported by horse to the main road, then by car to the house and mill. De-pulped. Fermented underwater in stainless steel tanks for five days. Dried until moisture content reaches 10.5%.
David is a second-generation coffee producer. His grandfather purchased his farm about 15 years ago, and it was passed down to David from his father. Today, the entire family works on the farm, with David leading management and processing. He is currently building a house on the farm to make processing more efficient and sustainable.
Chiroso is a new variety being grown primarily in the region of Antioquia, Colombia. We only started hearing about its cultivation a couple of years ago, but because of its cup quality potential it is beginning to spread. The variety has been genetically identified as an Ethiopian Landrace, but unfortunately we cannot get any more specific than that at this time. We have been working very hard building a buying program in the region of Urrao specifically around the variety of Chiroso. We still don't know where or how this variety came to be cultivated in this particular region, but its cup quality is extraordinary. We will be working with our exporting partner, The Coffee Quest, to continue developing this project, and hope that we'll be able to bring you more of this special coffee from this special region year after year.
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.