Colombia Maria Rodriguez SL28 Washed Espresso - Single Origin

In the highlands of Palestina, Huila, Maria Rodriguez co‑leads Finca Betania alongside her husband Linarco, within a group of 117 smallholder families. United by a shared philosophy of soil stewardship, biodiversity, and chemical free farming, the network has pooled resources to build cupping labs, professional drying stations, and centralised warehouses. This infrastructure lifts quality across the board while preserving full traceability back to each farm and family.

Only fully ripe cherries are harvested, floated and sorted. Cherries are depulped within hours to lock in fresh, sugar rich mucilage. The parchment moves into sealed tanks for a 32 hour anaerobic fermentation, a controlled phase that builds sweetness without sacrificing clarity. After fermentation, the coffee is thoroughly washed and spread on raised beds to dry slowly over 20–25 days.

Maria’s role is both practical and visionary; she helps set standards for selective picking, fermentation, and drying, and supports younger producers in the group. Her attention to detail shows clearly in this SL28, a washed coffee shaped by careful decisions at every stage.