Colombia Henry Bonilla

Henry Bonilla acquired the El Arrayan farm from the moment of his father’s death. From a very young age Henry was involved in all the work related to coffee on the farm, for this reason it was very easy to take the reins of what was a very traditional farm. However he wanted to go further by taking the risk of cultivating more exotic varieties such as gesha as well as also learning about and implementing more modern processing techniques such as anaerobic fermentations for the traditional varieties like this castillo.

Today Henrys naturals undergo a double fermentation, first dry as a maceration in sealed tanks for a day and then a further 36 hours submerged in water. These additional steps contribute to the cup more vibrant fruit characteristics and higher sweetness.

Drying has also seen more control over time, still using traditional marquesinas but focusing more and more on temperature control and allowing the naturals to dry for a minimum of 24 days. This allows further flavour complexity to develop n the final cup.

Henry is also a keen community member, sharing his knowledge and experience with the local producers in the area advising them on how to structure their farm for better financial and production processes.