ELIAS ROA & BELLANI SANCHEZ - PARTNERSHIP PROFILE

You won't believe the stroke of luck we had when we crossed paths with Don Elias Roa and Doña Bellani Sanchez, two top-notch specialty coffee farmers from Colombia. It all happened through their son-in-law, Diego Campos, who we connected with a few years back in Melbourne. Diego and his wife, Derlin, told us all about the amazing quality of their parents' farm, Finca Tamana. So, when they started their own farm, it only made sense to team up with Finca Tamana and produce enough coffee to fill our first order.

Don Elias has been in the coffee game for over two decades, and he and Bellani have done wonders with their family-owned farm in El Pital, Huila. They're even helping their daughter Derlin and her hubby Diego set up their own farm just an hour away in La Plata. These guys are all about sustainability and supporting their community, which is why they pay above-market rates to their seasonal workers and provide them with accommodation and food. It's no surprise that many of their seasonal workers have been with Finca Tamana since they bought it in 2011.

Finca Tamana's reputation for quality has led to some exciting partnerships with top-notch coffee roasters, like Norwegian roaster and coffee icon, Tim Wendelboe. Tim's been working with Finca Tamana since 2012, always paying above-market prices for coffee, and supporting Elias and Bellani to keep reinvesting in their farm. The coffee has gotten better and better since, consistently scoring 85+ on the cupping table and even hitting near 90 points in some seasons.

The coffee from Finca Tamana is pretty special, with a traditional Huila profile that has great structure, acidity, and notes of stone fruit, cane sugar, and cola. Elias loves experimenting with different varietals, even investing in ones that are harder or more expensive to grow, like Caturra, SL28, and Geisha. He's even discovered some new varietals that produce exceptional coffee, which makes us super excited to partner with Finca Tamana.

We were lucky enough to visit Finca Tamana in May 2022 and hang out with Elias and Bellani. It was pretty clear how committed they are to producing top-quality coffee, even when it's tough going. They shared with us how the pandemic and conflicts in Ukraine have made it harder to produce high-quality coffee, but they're still committed to delivering the best.

We're chuffed to have already grabbed some top-notch micro lots from Elias and Bellani's farms, including their first ever geisha, some rare pink bourbon, and the first coffee from their latest project, a neighbouring farm called Finca La Linea, that they purchased in 2022.

These guys are legends in the coffee industry, and it's easy to see why. We're thrilled to continue working with their family for years to come!