Notes from our Green Buyer

A year after we met Luis Pedro Zelaya, a fourth-generation coffee farmer in Guatemala, he introduced us to Melanie Herrera, his new coffee mill operations manager. Her role was to help him grow their Bella Vista Coffee operations. A few years ago, Melanie had purchased a small piece of land to establish her own coffee farm, Finca Ofelia – named after her grandmother. She has since used the expertise and resources from Luis Pedro to produce exceptionally high-quality coffee at her farm which sits at 1900 MASL. It has been exciting to watch two old friends work together and support each other in their work.

Notes from our Roaster

The Ofelia Bourbon micro-lot is a classic representation of one of our favorite places to source your coffees – Antigua, Guatemala. Coffees coming out of Antigua like Ofelia are balanced, meaning their flavors come together, or harmonize. They are not overly intense and do not compete with one another. Here, it’s citric acidity does not overwhelm the sweetness or the body. Rather, it combines nicely with the sweetness, giving it that ‘orange’ note. Similarly, it’s sweetness isn’t intense or loud like a fruit (like strawberry or blueberry) but simple (think nutty like an almond or buttery like a pastry). This combination is a balanced coffee and balanced is what we’ve come to admire in Antigua.