Colombia | Natural | Colombia Variety
Caldono, Cauca | 1,570 masl
Producer: Paola Yuliana Trujillo
Farm: Patio Bonito
Region: Caldono, Cauca, Colombia
Altitude: 1,570 masl
Variety: Colombia
Process: Natural (yeast-inoculated, 90hr anaerobic)
Harvest: Nov 2024
Score: 87.25 pts
Tasting Notes:
Concord grape, blackberry, caramel, vanilla
Creamy body, winey acidity, long sweet finish.
Disclaimer:
This coffee keeps us on our toes. With its naturally high sugar content, Patio Bonito is a tricky roast. The sugars caramelize quickly, often leading to a bit of surface oil showing up on the beans. That sheen doesn’t mean it’s over-roasted — it’s just a reflection of the coffee’s density and fermentation style. We’ve spent time dialing in a profile that balances clarity, structure, and all that vibrant fruit so what ends up in your cup is sweet, juicy, and complex, just as it should be.
Summary:
A vibrant, red-fruited natural from the slopes of Caldono, born from reinvention, resilience, and a whole lot of love.
This lot from Patio Bonito, grown and produced by Paola Yuliana Trujillo, is one of those coffees that reminds us why we do this in the first place. It’s layered and expressive — strawberries and cherries up front, blackberry and red apple through the middle, and a silky vanilla-caramel sweetness that lingers long after the last sip. The structure is bright and winey, held together with a creamy, rounded body and a sparkling citrus lift. It's both clean and complex, with just the right amount of wild.
But the story behind the cup runs even deeper.
Reinventing Patio Bonito
Paola grew up surrounded by coffee, but her path wasn’t always destined to lead back to the farm. After studying Chemical Engineering at the National University in Manizales, she worked briefly in a soap factory, disconnected from her roots and unsure of her purpose. When she returned home following her grandmother’s passing, she offered to help with the harvest. That decision would end up changing everything.
The first year was rough. Coffee prices were low, quality was even lower, and the future of the farm was uncertain. But instead of walking away, Paola chose to transform Patio Bonito. She leaned into specialty coffee, built relationships with mentors, and started changing both the practices and mindset behind the work.
Over the next few years, she deepened her experience working with producers in Cauca, Huila, and Nariño. Her love of collaboration, experimentation, and sustainable quality started showing in the cup — and in the community she helped build. Today, she continues to mentor other producers, helping grow a network of farmers focused on quality, ecology, and shared knowledge.
The Farm
Patio Bonito is a full-on family affair. Paola’s father, Carlos Arturo Trujillo, has been growing coffee for more than 40 years, and with the full support of the family, they’ve been elevating quality one step at a time. The farm spans 11 hectares, with 9 dedicated to coffee and about 45,000 trees under cultivation. While this lot comes from the Colombia variety, the farm is also home to a stunning range of cultivars — Gesha, SL28, Bourbon Rosado, Wush Wush, Laurina, and more — all planted with long-term quality and experimentation in mind.
Their work is grounded in four core pillars: food safety, agroforestry, sustainability, and quality. The farm’s mission? “To provide alternatives and training for farmers and students in the management, conservation, and exploration of natural resources and the environment.” For the Trujillos, it’s about more than just coffee — it’s about leaving something lasting behind.
The Process
This lot was produced using a natural process with microbial fermentation to bring out all the vibrant fruit and sweetness while keeping the cup clean and structured.
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Ripe cherries were handpicked at peak maturity (deep purple stage), then floated to remove underripe or defective fruit.
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The cherries were sanitized with a bisulfite solution and inoculated with Lalcafé Oro yeast to ensure a clean, stable fermentation.
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Fermentation lasted for 90 hours in sealed plastic tanks, promoting intense fruit character and complexity.
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Drying took place in the sun for six days, then finished in a mechanical Guardiola dryer for even consistency.
The result is a coffee that’s intensely aromatic, fruit-forward, and refined — the kind of cup that reflects both technical precision and deep-rooted passion.
