Lasso Lassi

Five years ago, Nestor and Adrian Lasso took over their family farm and shifted toward specialty coffee. They partnered with Jhoan Vergara to form El Diviso, combining two family farms near Pitalito, Huila. Through a close collaboration with Cata Export, they developed fermentation protocols and have since seen their coffees featured — and win — in European barista competitions, including 1st place at the Brewers Cup in Ireland.

Nestor grew up in Normandía, Huila, and has always been connected to coffee. While traditional coffee farming is poorly paid, he discovered that specialty coffee offered both economic opportunity and a true passion. With support from
Cata Export and training from Colombia’s top coffee school, SENA, he learned about processing, cupping, and the global market. He believes passion is what truly sets successful producers apart.

The partnership between Cata Export and El Diviso shows the power of working directly with producers. This collaboration has allowed young farmers like Nestor to stay in coffee, grow professionally, and contribute to shifting the perception and consumption of coffee in Colombia and beyond.

Processing
Step 1: Harvest and Cherry Selection
Only ripe cherries are harvested. They are disinfect low-density beans. Final selection ensures only fully ripe cherries are used.
Step 2: Cherry Oxidation
Whole cherries undergo a 14-hour oxidation process to develop complexity.
Step 3: Depulping
The cherries are depulped to remove the outer fruit layer.
Step 4: Fermentation Process
A 60-hour anaerobic fermentation is carried out, followed by a 12-hour submerged fermentation using must (fermentation juices) from previous batches.
Step 5: Controlled Drying allowing precise control of humidity and quality. Temperatures never exceed 38°C, and the coffee is dried to a moisture content of 10–11%