COLOMBIA ALONSO BUSTOS

black cherry, brown spice, orange

Farm/coop/station: Finca El Mirador

Region: Huila, Bolibar

Altitude: 1600 masl

Owner: Alonso Bustos

Varietal: Papayo

Process: Natural

Alonso is a second-generation coffee producer who’s been cultivating coffee for over 50 years. He inherited Finca El Mirador through his wife. Today, they live on the farm with their 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Alonso’s children inspired him to start producing specialty coffee in 2017. To further improve coffee quality, Alonso has planted Papayo, a variety prized for its large cherries and high productivity. 

This is a unique Papayo lot. The Papayo variety is rare outside of Huila and little is known about how it arrived in Colombia. It was originally thought to be a Caturra mutation, but genetic testing by World Coffee Research indicates a close relationship with Ethiopian Landraces. Papayo cherries are distinctive, with an elongated shape. It is assumed that the local name comes from the papaya fruit, which is similarly shaped.