Colombia | Augusto Ortega SL28

Region: Kennedy, San Augustin, Colombia
Variety: SL28
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1680  Masl
We Taste: Blood Orange, Lingonberry, Hibiscus

Augusto has been producing coffee for nearly four decades, and is now dedicated to passing along what he has learned to younger producers in the region as a leader of the Monkaaba group. We have been purchasing coffee from Augusto and his wife, Marleny Imbachi, since we started roasting.  Augusto planted his SL28 seeds in 2019 and this is only the second export he has made from these trees. He was one of the first producers in the Monkaaba group to receive SL28 seeds, and he has since shared them other producers in the group, such as Jaime Burbano, Damian Bolaños, and Pastor Ordoñez. Over the past couple of years, we have been purchasing SL28 through the Monkaaba group as a small community lot from these few producers, as their combined harvests were so small, that combining them was essential to make volumes large enough for export. However, as the trees have grown and they have become more familiar with the variety, the harvests have begun to be large enough to separate out. We're so excited to see the evolution of one of our favorite varieties from this group of producers who are so integral to our purchasing relationships. SL28 is primarily associated with the excellent quality of Kenyan coffee, where it is most commonly grown. This particular lot showcases a lot of the hallmark flavors of the variety with mouthwatering red and purple fruits like blood orange, lingonberry, blueberry, hibiscus, and rosehips. 

Monkaaba is an initiative aimed at assisting producers in finding better market access and better prices for their coffees, but also helps invest in producers to ensure their future success. The group is educating producers on how the supply chain works so that they can better navigate it, while helping them to improve growing, harvesting, and processing techniques. The also host open weekly cuppings to improve producer's ability to evaluate and understand their coffees while they receive feedback from other members.

Price Breakdown:

Our Total Cost: 
Packaging, labor, and weight loss: 
Green Price: $9.15/lb
FOB Price: $6.75/lb
Farm Gate Price: 4,500,000 COP per carga parchment

Importer: Semilla

*We roast on Tuesdays and ship the following day; order cutoff is 7:00 am Tuesday morning