THE PRODUCER

Don Reinaldo grew up in El Purutal, San Agustín, Huila. Formal schooling ended early, but farming filled the gap. By nine, he was already tending sugarcane, panela, corn, beans, yucca — and learning to propagate coffee the traditional escobiado way, from seeds sprouting beneath coffee trees.

As a teenager, he worked day jobs on neighbouring farms. At 14, he was given a quarter hectare of family land, planting his first crops and entering “half-time” arrangements where he provided labour in exchange for access to land. Step by step, he built his way toward ownership.

Eventually, one of his employers sold him a small plot. With savings and support from the National Coffee Federation, he planted his first 800 Caturra trees. At 22, he married Doña Mariela, and together they carved out a livelihood — balancing coffee with food crops in the early years. In 2016, Reinaldo planted 3,000 Pink Bourbon and 1,500 Catimor, signaling a shift toward specialty production.

THE TURNING POINT

For years, his harvests went to local buyers and cooperatives. More recently, he joined the MonKaaba project, delivering his first micro-lot under his own name. That step wasn’t just commercial — it was about recognition, fair prices, and building a sustainable future for his family.

We recommend brewing with beans that are at least two weeks off roast. All beans are roasted to peak flavour at around 8-12 weeks. We have the option to either purchase standard beans (at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 weeks off roast), or rested beans (at least 7 weeks off roast, no longer than 12). For peak flavour, if you are looking to use immediately, we recommend purchasing the rested beans. If you are adding to your rotation of beans, we recommend purchasing the standard and allowing the beans to naturally rest and mature whilst you rotate through other beans.