ONYX - Colombia Yadimir Quiguanas Perez Bourbon Aji

In 2019, we visited Colombia in order to seek out the famed Inmaculada Coffee Farms. Before making the drive to Pinchindé, we met Fernando Oka, who graciously showed us around Cali, Colombia. Over the afternoon, we quickly realized that Fernando is a bit of an institution among the population of Cali. Everywhere we went, Fernando was greeted and invited in, making his rounds to the tables before settling in. We like to joke that Fernando is the unofficial Governor of Cali with how well-networked and social he is, but the truth is that Fernando is an extremely passionate person. Fernando has a deep love for food and wine, not to mention coffee, but most of all for people. His beloved nature extends well beyond the town of Cali, Colombia, to the greater specialty coffee world. We’ve been lucky enough to travel the world with Fernando, and yet it still feels like we are sitting in a restaurant in Cali, as he is just as likely to make his social rounds in Greece as he is in Colombia. As he struck out on his own to aid in connecting roasters with specialty producers from Colombia, we were quick to support him as often as we could.

The outcome of our close partnership has been a curated offering list that we’ve assembled over the past few months of harvest. As we make our way through this curated lineup, we’ve asked Fernando a series of questions, which you can find below.

Yadimir Quiguanas Pérez is from Putumayo, a department near the Amazon rainforest in Colombia. Fifteen years ago, he arrived in Pitalito due to the conflict in Putumayo. Since then, he has been growing coffee on his farm, Los Yarumos, which was initially an unknown world for him. However, over time, he fell in love with coffee, becoming passionate about producing great coffee and constantly learning new things.

Since Yadimir was 15, he has been responsible for running the family business in Putumayo. With the development of coffee in the area, he began working with new varieties and processing methods ten years ago. Yadimir's family consists of his wife and their two young daughters, who are his main motivation to improve every day and elevate his coffee project to the next level.
Here is a short interview with Fernando Oka about this relationship-

How did you meet this producer?
He heard about me in Huila and introduced himself in Bogotá during Expoespeciales, the biggest coffee Expo [in] Colombia.

How was it processed, and what stood out about this particular coffee?
Wow, the Ombligón hit me from the first sip floral notes with dark chocolate, wine and red fruits with a deep structure.

What are the growing conditions of this coffee?
Los Yarumos farm is located at high elevation 1900 meters up on seal level. With a semi-organic management this land produces one of the best cups in Colombia. Pitalito is super known for high quality coffees. The delta of temperature change helps ripeness and density.

What trends are you seeing in Colombian specialty coffee?
Right now on my opinion we will try to express the highest potential of each variety with the right fermentation. Some coffees are clean and elegant, others intense and fruity.. It is about the right profile for every single terroir and variety.

What are you hoping to highlight as we curate more coffees together?
Every time we have a new offer is completely different so I'm super happy to keep bringing distinctive coffees for every palate.