Farm: El Cedron
Region: Yoro
Elevation: 1500 meters
Cultivar: Pacas, Catuai, IHCafe90
Process: Honey
Notes: Peach, Green Apple, Kiwi, Honey Toast
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Filander’s story in coffee begins in Yoro, Honduras, where he grew up working on his father’s farm. What started as a childhood game became demanding work, and by the time he graduated in 1996, he was certain he wanted a different path.
In 1998, a request from his father to help fund a road connecting farmland brought him back to agriculture. Soon after, Filander took ownership of a deforested plot that at the time produced only corn and beans. With no coffee farms nearby, he began building something entirely new.
By 2000, he established his first nursery with 3,000 coffee seedlings and timber trees, laying the foundation for what is now a 17 hectare farm. Today, his work reflects a long term commitment to sustainability, with shade management, hardwood planting, and environmental restoration bringing native wildlife back to the land.
His coffees are dried on shaded solar beds and patios, supporting even drying and clarity in the cup. This lot was one of our favorite selections from our 2025 origin trip, and we are continually impressed by the quality of honey processed coffees coming out of Honduras.
After achieving his first specialty sale in 2023, Filander continues to invest in quality and resilience, renovating with rust resistant varieties and focusing on productivity, cup quality, and traceability for the future.
Region: Comayagua
Elevation 1450 meters
Cultivar: Parainema, Lempira
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Notes: Peach, Kiwi, Tropical Fruit Snacks
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Néstor Javier Fúnez Rodríguez, a fourth-generation coffee producer from Comayagua, Honduras, manages Finca El Río, a 2.8-hectare farm cultivating Catuaí, Lempira, and Parainema. The farm sits under abundant shade with native trees that support biodiversity and healthy soils. Since 2014, Néstor has dedicated himself fully to coffee, overcoming challenges such as leaf rust, landslides, and drought to build a resilient specialty operation.
The Fúnez family works as a close team. During wet milling and drying, the siblings take their lead from Ariel Fúnez, who oversees quality. Néstor also benefits from his sister Lila Fúnez, whose coffee cupping training enhances quality control and helps elevate every microlot the family produces.
Néstor dedicates careful attention to farm management, fertilization, and shade tree maintenance, blending traditional practices with modern techniques to ensure every harvest reaches specialty quality. He aims to sell 100% of his coffee as specialty grade, bypassing middlemen and producing lots that showcase the farm’s potential for extraordinary coffee.
Each cup from Finca El Río reflects the discipline, care, and unity of the Fúnez family, showcasing the passion and expertise that define a new generation of Honduran coffee producers.
Farm: El Vergel
Producers: Elias & Shady Bayter
Region: Tolima
Elevation: 1450 meters
Cultivar: Red & Yellow Caturra
Process: Washed. EA Sugarcane Decaf
Notes: Almond, Panela, Navel Orange, Clove
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El Vergel is more than a coffee, it’s the result of bold reinvention and relentless innovation. What began as an avocado farm in Tolima transformed in 2006 when the Bayter family set their sights on coffee. Drawing on their agricultural roots that date back to 1995, they planted their first coffee at El Vergel Estate in 2010 and celebrated their first successful harvest by 2015. Since then, El Vergel has become internationally recognized for experimental processing, including their groundbreaking Koji fermentations, and for building a model that puts producers, quality, and transparency first.
In 2017, facing challenges in the local market, Martha, Shady, and Elias pushed further, seeking new ways to add value and close the gap between growers and roasters. That vision became Forest Coffee in 2019, a producer-led project dedicated to innovation in processing, education, and sustainability. Today, Forest Coffee represents a thriving network of 250 coffee-growing families across Colombia, supported by multiple regional projects and a growing global community of roasters and partners.
This lot showcases that spirit of innovation through the EA sugarcane decaffeination process. After carefully managed fermentations designed to enhance sweetness and complexity, the green coffee is decaffeinated using ethyl acetate derived from sugarcane. The coffee is gently washed in water and EA within circular extraction tanks, naturally reducing caffeine to 0.1 percent while preserving flavor integrity. The result is a clean, smooth, and expressive decaf that maintains the character of the original coffee, proving that decaffeinated coffee can still be vibrant, complex, and deeply satisfying.
Producer: Biru Bekele
Region: Oromia
Elevation: 2182 MASL
Cultivar: Heirloom
Process: Natural
Notes: Chocolate Covered Cherry, Blackberry Jam, Blueberry Muffin
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Ardi is one of our favorite and most consistent offerings from Ethiopia year after year. We source this coffee through Keffa Coffee, which specializes in creating some of the best lots in the world from Ethiopia and other origins. The name Ardi is a nod to Ardipithecus ramidus, an early human ancestor whose fossil remains were discovered in the same region where this coffee is grown, highlighting Ethiopia’s importance as both the cradle of humankind and the origin of the coffee plant.
Ardi was one of the first coffees we bought from Keffa and it is the quintessential Ethiopia Natural. The sorting and drying process are completed with the utmost attention to detail, guided by years of experience from Biru Bekele. Look for intense berry and ripe fruit flavors, complemented by a refreshing citrus acidity and a smooth dark chocolate finish.
Farm: El Paseo
Region: Narino
Elevation : 1800 meters
Variety: Caturra
Processing Method: Anaerobic Washed
Notes: Pixie Stix, Lemongrass, Coconut, Coffee Blossom
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Huver is a third generation coffee producer in Nariño, Colombia, though his path into coffee came later than most. Until 2015, he worked as a math teacher before returning to his family’s farms to focus fully on coffee production. Today, he works alongside his father at El Paseo, a farm that has been in the family for more than 20 years.
El Paseo is located near Buesaco along the Suma Paz trail, with elevations ranging from 1,750 to 1,950 meters. Set along the slopes overlooking the valley below, the farm is planted with Caturra and supported by a diverse canopy of native shade trees, creating an environment well suited for slow cherry maturation and high cup quality.
Rocket Flower is a reflection of Huver’s meticulous and highly technical approach to processing. Ripe cherries are selected and held in whole cherry for a 36 hour pre-fermentation before being floated and disinfected with a sea salt solution. The coffee then undergoes anaerobic fermentation in sealed stainless steel tanks, where fermentation liquid is recirculated with added enzymes to encourage a distinct floral character. Each lot ferments for six days before being mechanically dried at low temperatures and stabilized for 15 days to ensure consistency. The result is a coffee that is incredibly bright and floral. Rocket Flower stands out as a prime example of modern processing in Colombia.
Station Owner/Producer: Biru Bekele
Region: Oromia
Elevation : 2100 meters
Variety: Heirloom 74158
Processing Method: Washed. Grade 1
Notes: Jasmine Green Tea, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lilac
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This coffee comes from Ethiopia’s renowned Guji Zone, a lush region in the south that borders Sidama, West Arsi, Bale, and the famous Gedeo Zone. Guji shares many characteristics with Gedeo in both coffee production and processing, resulting in vibrant coffees with bright fruit and floral notes.
This lot is washed, a method where the cherries are carefully pulped and fermented before drying. The washed process enhances clarity and brightness, allowing the coffee’s natural flavors to shine through with a clean, crisp finish.
We’re drawn to this coffee for its soft floral aroma, rich sweetness, and refreshing finish. It’s versatile across brewing methods, but truly shines as a pour-over or drip coffee.
