Zambia Mount Sunzu
Welcome to Mount Sunzu Coffee, a farm nestled at the foot of Zambia’s biggest mountain that is focused on producing speciality coffee that balances quality, sustainability and integrity. This farm actively protects the local Miombo forest, uses solar powered irrigation, and applies climate-smart agricultural techniques to reduce their footprint.
Colombia Pink Panther
A dazzling pink bourbon full of sweetness and character from a group of smallholder farmers in the legendary growing region of Huila. Pink Bourbon has become a staple of Colombia in recent years, standing out for its consistently great profile.
This variety is widely spread in the southern part of the department of Huila and is now making its way north and into other departments. According to producers, Pink Bourbon originated on a farm in the “vereda” of San Adolfo in the municipality of Acevedo, Huila. There, the plant began to exhibit unique traits, such as its famous pinkish hue with stripes when ripe. When cupped, it revealed a distinctive, unique, and consistent profile, which led to its growing popularity. From the original farm, seedlings were sold to other producers and, in some cases, gifted to friends.
Many coffee producers in Huila have planted Pink Bourbon over the past 10 years, as it consistently produces high-quality cups. It has adapted well to climatic changes and has not been significantly affected by pests and diseases such as leaf rust, maintaining a good production yield.
Several DNA studies have shown that Pink Bourbon is closely related to an Ethiopian landrace, though the exact details remain unspecified. The name "Pink Bourbon" became popular because early producers thought the tree resembled a Bourbon variety and noted its distinct pink hue. The name stuck and is now widely recognized.
The coffee producers of the south of Huila are mostly second-generation, with some third generation and a few first-generation farmers. Coffee is both a passion and a business for them, which is why they continually seek to improve the quality of their coffee to achieve better prices. Many of these producers have experimented with different fermentation times, vessels in which the coffee is fermented, and other techniques. They also introduce new varieties to consistently achieve better results and ensure quality. This is why they have decided to introduce Pink Bourbon to their farms.
Guatemala La Concepcion
Around the turn of the 20th century (1890), don Anacleto Marroquin, a first-generation coffee producer, bought Finca Esperanza, in the valley of Acatenango, together with his wife Higinia Melendez. The original farm was about 250 hectares in size. In 1910, don Anacleto’s daughter Maria Natalia and her husband Maximiliano Perez inherited the farm, and started planting it anew. All of the production in the following decades was transported with donkeys and mules to the town of Acatenango, a two-and-a-half-hour-long trip, to be processed in one of the few wet mills in the area. It was not until 1956 when Maximiliano built their own wet mill in the farm and started to introduce Caturra as the main varietal in the farm. In 1968 Finca La Esperanza won 2nd prize of the national competition for coffees grown above 4000 ft. In 1978, Maria Natalia and Maximiliano’s daughters Berta and Julia inherit the farm and manage it for another 3 decades, selling part of it in the process, before finally selling the farm to don Hector Leal in the early 2010’s. Today, formerly known as La Esperanza, Finca Concepcion is comprised of 100 hectares and the owner, putting his 65+ years of coffee work and knowledge to use, has transformed the farm with new growing methods and varietals which include H1, H3, Casiopea, Gesha, Ethiopean Dwarf, Pink Bourbon, amongst others, producing an exquisite cup of coffee.
