Overview

This Castillo comes from La Divisa, a 13-hectare farm at 1,700 MASL, nestled in the hills of Circasia in Colombia’s Quindío department. John Gomez bought the farm in 1995 and has been growing coffee there for thirty years. His son, Sebastian, joined him in 2014, and together they have continued to refine and improve their approach to quality. This is an expressive coffee that reflects that work — in the cup we find plum wine, dried fig, and dark chocolate.

Sebastian's story

After spending time abroad, Sebastian returned to his family’s farm in 2014 and, having seen the growth of specialty coffee elsewhere, encouraged his father to shift their focus toward quality. After three years of sustained effort, they began to see the results of that commitment in the cup. In 2017, they also began working with the coffee exporter, Cofinet, who provided technical support to help further develop their farming and processing practices.

Production process

The cherries were hand-picked by Sebastian and his team, then initially sorted before being transported to La Pradera, Cofinet’s processing centre. There, the cherries are floated in water to remove low-density fruit and debris, then carefully hand-sorted to remove any unripe, overripe, or defective cherries.

The selected cherries are fermented in open tanks for 45 hours, contributing to the wine-like depth in the cup. They are then dried on raised beds for 8–12 days. During this time, the coffee is regularly turned and closely monitored until it reaches a moisture content of 9.5–11%.

Our relationship

We purchased this coffee through Cofinet, which arrived in the UK in January 2026. We’ve been keen to work with them for some time, given the alignment in how we approach sourcing. Alongside producing coffee on their own farms, Cofinet works with smallholder producers, connecting them with specialty roasters and supporting them to improve cultivation and processing. This can help producers add value to their coffee and, in turn, increase their income.