Marco Fidel Rodriguez (lovingly dubbed MFR by our Sample bar crew) has been on our shelves numerous times—the first one going back to 2015. This lot is a washed process Pink Bourbon varietal, not too far off his top-rating X Grade (featured as part of our Brew Crew VS).
Finca El Balcon has breathtaking views of Pitalito and the Laboyos Valley on one side and views of lakes and waterfalls on the other. It was the property of Marco Fidel’s father, who introduced him to the craft of coffee from very early on. He is now 45 years old, and he has spent the last 14 focusing on specialty coffee.
Marco Fidel’s experience with Pink Bourbon goes back to 7 years, when he planted the first trees of this varietal; after achieving good results, he went for a second batch and now this varietal makes 20% of his production (with the remainder being Caturra).
While Pink Bourbon brings some charming premiums and rewards, its harvest can be quite challenging. The fruits can over-ripen very quickly compared to other varietals, so workers need maximum attention, experience and focus when picking the cherries. In addition, the trees’ yield is not very high compared to others—but fortunately, they enjoy a high resilience against leaf rust.
Marco Fidel works with his wife, Ruth, and his 2 sons on the farm. He takes care of his coffee trees and is in charge of managing the workers. The post-harvest process is carried out by the whole family. Ruth also manages another project, growing a number of different plants and flowers for consumption and decoration, and it would be well worth the visit just to see this. Just like Reuben did back in 2015!
Certifications: UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, PECA
All the images and information about this coffee and producers have been kindly shared by its importer, Caravela Coffee, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).
