Whole bean Horizonte DUAL – Colombia • Ethiopia

THE COFFEE

This coffee is named Dual because a Colombian coffee and a Ethiopian coffee make an excellent intercontinental combination together.

You may have already tried our Traditional coffee from Gerardo Franco – it’s a traditional Colombian espresso, roasted to perfection. By blending our Traditional coffee with Ethiopian beans we’ve created Dual, a coffee that offers more fruitiness and acidity.

THE PRODUCER

GERARDO FRANCO #1

Horizonte had an opportunity to visit Gerardo and his family in April 2018. Gerardo’s farm is located in the steep, remote mountains above the Colombian town of Anserma, and can only be reached by a 4x4 vehicle. The views from Gerardo’s farm are breathtaking – looking out over Anserma (which itself is perched on a mountain ridge) as well as over the Cooperative Gerardo works with.

It was Gerardo’s father who originally bought this land, and who realised the potential for growing coffee in such fertile soil and with a favourable climate. After he passed away, the eight siblings split the land among themselves.

Perhaps you’re wondering how Horizonte finds farmers like Gerardo? In Colombia, we work closely with Valentina Duque from Siruma Coffee, and it was Valentina who recommended Gerardo, both for his exceptional coffee and the outstanding way he cares for the environment while also providing for his family.

During our visit, we discovered that Gerardo was in desperate need of his own post-harvesting facility. He was sharing the existing one with his brother down the road, which meant a huge amount of extra work carrying beans back and forth. In addition, their de-pulper was 20 years old and hand-operated. It seemed logical for Horizonte to help out by contributing to a new post-harvesting station to be built on Gerardo’s property. Horizonte wants to nuture long-term relationships with farmers like Gerardo, and re-investing in our partners helps to create sustainable value for both parties.

As you can imagine, Traditional is a “micro lot” coffee, with just 8000 trees planted on the slopes above Gerardo’s house. Gerardo farms with help only from his family and a pair of pickers during the two main harvest seasons. No chemical fertilisers are used.

Gerardo’s post-harvesting process consists of 16 hours of fermentation, three separate washes to remove all floaters (overripe beans), followed by air-drying for a few weeks (depending on weather conditions).

Horizonte bought all of the coffee from Gerardo’s most recent harvest, which was a great scoop for us (and something we aim to repeat) and which in turn allowed Gerardo to plan his financials for the coming months.

WOTE KONGA MILL #2

Thanks to our partnership with Schluter/Olam Coffee, we’re able to share this Ethiopian coffee from the Yirgacheffee region with you.

Over the years, Yirgacheffee – featuring some of the most sought-after micro lots in the world – has developed a distinguished reputation for fine coffees.

The pre-eminence of Yirgacheffee coffees owes as much to the area’s high altitude, fertile soil and consistent rain as it does to the deep local knowledge of the growers and farmers.

The varietals from Wote Konga Mill are endemic to Ethiopia and underpin the unique flavour which is characterised by strong citric acidity, sweet chocolate undertones, and floral and herbal notes.

At Wote Konga, the coffee cherries are fermented in water for between 36 and 48 hours, depending on weather conditions. After being graded by bean density, they are sun-dried on African beds for 12-15 days until the ideal moisture content has been achieved. The coffee is covered for protection from the harsh midday sun, and again at night to avoid exposure to dew or rain.

Once the beans have been suitably dried, they are transported to Addis Ababa for dry-milling, intensive sorting and are then bagged for export.