Lush Lemons

Freddy Humberto Ortega Muñoz began his journey in coffee production when his father gifted him a small plot of land with about 500 young trees. Based in the hamlet of Sevilla in San Agustín, Huila, Freddy cultivated seedlings in his own nursery and, over the next 20 years, expanded his production to manage around 4,500 to 5,000 trees across multiple plots. Today, he owns and operates El Bosquecito, a 1.5-hectare farm located at an elevation of 1,900 meters, with 1 hectare dedicated to coffee cultivation. Freddy lives and works on the farm alongside his father and sister, and during the harvest season, they are joined by families from neighbouring areas.

El Bosquecito features a diverse array of coffee varieties: 1,300 trees of Castillo (a rust-resistant hybrid), 1,700 trees of Bourbon Rosado (a pink-fruited mutation of Bourbon), 1,000 newly planted Bourbon Sidra trees (planted in 2024), and around 1,000 mixed-variety trees. To provide filtered light for the coffee, the farm has 40 to 60 shade trees, mainly nitrogen-fixing legumes such as guamo serindo (Inga nobilis) and cachimbo or camburo (Erythrina poeppigiana), which are planted along the boundaries and throughout the plots.

Although El Bosquecito lacks its own water source for processing, it is part of a 12-hectare family-owned property that includes a stream and a natural spring. The spring is protected within about 0.5 hectares of conserved forest. Since December 2020, there has been no deforestation on the property, aligning the farm with sustainability standards that emphasize forest conservation.

Freddy fertilizes his coffee four times a year and applies foliar sprays when necessary. To combat the coffee berry borer (broca), one of coffee’s most damaging pests, he uses biological controls based on naturally occurring fungi. Annual production varies with climate; however, in 2024 he produced approximately 2,000 kilograms of parchment coffee (dried coffee in its parchment).

The farm is managed by three family members—Freddy, his father, and his sister. During harvest, they hire 3 to 5 additional workers from nearby communities, providing meals for them, and the workers return to their homes in the evening.

About Processing
Only fully ripe cherries are harvested. After picking, the cherries rest for about 12 hours before being depulped. The mucilage-covered coffee is then fermented in tanks for roughly 36 hours to develop flavour. Following fermentation, the coffee is thoroughly washed, drained for around 12 hours, and then moved to the drying phase.

Drying takes place on raised beds beneath a plastic roof that shields the coffee from rain and harsh direct sunlight while still allowing light and airflow. In the initial days of drying, Freddy turns the coffee more than five times daily; later, he continues to stir it three to four times each day to ensure even drying. Depending on the weather, drying takes between 8 and 15 days. To avoid overcrowding the drying beds and compromising quality during peak harvest, part of the harvest is sold to a local wet mill.

After drying, the coffee is rested in bags for 8 to 15 days. This resting period allows moisture to stabilize within the beans, helping to preserve quality during storage and transport. Thanks to the cool climate at 1,900 meters, Freddy aims for a final moisture content of around 10%.

Freddy is meticulous about cleanliness in the processing area. The depulper is washed immediately after use, and the fermentation tanks are cleaned after each batch to prevent contamination or off-flavours from previous lots. This close attention to hygiene and process control is a key reason his coffees are known for being clean, sweet, and expressive.