About this Coffee

As the Montanchez children finished their primary studies, Yuri and the others became more involved in the farm under the watchful eye of their father. Together, they salvaged old parcels of coffee that were overgrown and neglected, identified the best areas for planting coffee, and set aside parcels for the growing of subsistence crops like tomatoes, plantains, and corn. Taking advice from their neighbours, they began planting higher quality varieties like Caturra and Pink Bourbon as well as disease-resistant varieties like Castillo.

Over the years, Jesus came to meet Don Augusto Ortega, who was and is well-known as one of the first to seek out a differentiated market for his coffees in the San Agustin area. As the Monkaaba project took off in late 2020, with Augusto and his wife Marleny as spearheading members, Augusto made the invitation to Don Jesus to join. At this point, the family was selling all of their coffee to large exporters in nearby Pitalito where they would be delivered in large lots and blended into full container shipments. Jesus never knew who his buyer was or where his coffee ended up, and it was one of his dreams to change this model of working. He was intrigued by the new project and suggested Robert bring some of his first Pink Bourbon harvests to the buying point.

Sadly, in 2021, the family suffered a massive shock when Jesus suddenly passed while working with the cattle on the farm. The oldest brothers, Antonio and Miguel had already moved on to form their own families and this left the younger siblings - specifically Yuri, as the next oldest - suddenly responsible to make crucial decisions with Maria disoriented and beside herself with grief. After struggling through the weeks following Jesus’ passing, Yuri, Robert, and Mauricio made the decision to continue in his name, splitting the farm into 3 equal parts for them to manage and to continue using it to sustain the family.

When Robert entered the group that same year, it felt like a new opportunity for the family and the realization of his now departed father’s dream - to be recognized for his daily labours, and for his children to have hope for the future. In the time directly after Jesus’ death, Robert quickly became a fixture at the weekly cuppings - first at Esnaider’s farm and then at the bodega in San Agustin.

With the success and experience he achieved, Robert began pushing the rest of the family to become more involved. As most of the farm is largely planted with varieties of a lower cup potential, like Castillo, it took several tries for Yuri - who manages the Castillo - to achieve a micro lot. This lot represents her first success in that vein and her first ever international sale under her name at the age of 35.