Four years ago, Hervey convinced his brother to start growing Geisha as well. They spent months searching for seeds, eventually gaining permission to personally select the best fruits from a Geisha plot in Pitalito.

The first few harvests didn’t meet expectations in terms of flavor complexity, but Hervey didn’t give up. After numerous trials (somewhere around 30 different fermentation times and methods), he finally perfected the clean, floral Geisha profile through a 50-hour anaerobic fermentantion of the cherries, followed by a 60-hour anaerobic fermentation of the depulped beans. Finally the coffee is fully washed. He also constructed raised beds with shading on top of their house to dry the coffee slowly – about three weeks on average.

His commitment to finding the perfect profile is a reminder of the unseen hard work behind specialty coffees. We’re thrilled to now share this delicious geisha with European roasters, knowing the effort that’s gone into it. Our Minga team in Pitalito has tested countless experiments from Hervey, which has been a valuable learning experience for us and has helped us build a strong friendship with both Hervey and Rocio.

We also want to acknowledge Rocio, his wife, in this achievement because women often work behind the scenes in the coffee businesses of smallholders. Rocio takes care of all the farm workes, cooks tirelessly every day for 5 to 15 people, and ensures everyone has what they need before heading out to work on the farm or in the mill.