Colombia | Monkaaba SL28

Region: San Augustin, Colombia
Variety: SL28
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1670-1800 Masl
We Taste: Red Currant, Tangerine, Rosehips

This community lot is the culmination of the work and vision of four producers from the Monkaaba group in San Augustin: Jaime Burbano, Augusto Ortega, Esnaider Ortega, and Damian Bolaños. 

Esnaider and Augusto had the first seeds of SL28 and began planting them and distributing them to others in 2020, and this is the first exported SL28 from their efforts. These producers have been committed towards succeeding in the specialty coffee market for years, and part of their approach has been to add new and unique varieties to diversify their production and elevate the quality. This approach is often times much easier said than done, as the production of new varieties takes time, learning, and trial and error. In this case, it took four years and combining the production from their four harvests to have enough volume to create a substantial sized lot for exporting. However, it's evident that their hard work is already paying off because even in this first year, the quality is exceptional. 

SL28 is highly revered for its quality and it's flavor profile is largely associated with that of Kenyan coffee, as that is where it was developed and first grown. Though it's not always the case with every SL28 grown and processed in other countries, the hallmark characteristics of the variety definitely shine through in this lot. We're tasting dark berries, currants, juicy citrus, and subtle floral qualities in the cup. We're incredibly excited to have this special lot on our menu and share more coffees from Monkaaba.

Monkaaba is an initiative aimed at assisting smallholder producers in finding better market access and better prices for their coffees, and helps invest in them to ensure their future success.  The leaders of the Monkaaba group are 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. They also host open weekly cuppings to improve producers' ability to evaluate and understand their coffees while they receive feedback from other members. These open dialogues about pricing, quality, and the market are helping to create a more robust community of smallholder farmers in San Augustin, and is rooted in the importance of collaboration. 

Price Breakdown:

Our Total Cost: $9.43/lb
Packaging, labor, and weight loss: $3.88/lb
Green Price: $5.55/lb
FOB Price: $4.21/lb
Farm Gate Price: 3,000,000 Colombian Pesos per carga

Importer: Semilla

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