The Coffee: 

Producer: Wilder Lazo

Farm: La Dinastia

Processing: Washed

Varietal: Typica Mejorado

Tasting: Clementine, Strawberry Milk, Jasmine

The Importer:

Know Where Coffee

Juan Diaz, the mind and heart behind Know Where Coffee, is a master at discovering and building lasting relationships with some of the most talented coffee producers in his region. With a deep background as a barista competitor and years of experience across the coffee industry, Juan approaches sourcing with both precision and purpose - always pursuing coffees that tell a story and connect people in meaningful ways.

Juan has been a dear friend and partner to Makeworth since our early days as a roasting company. His dedication and expertise have helped shape our coffee menu, consistently introducing us to remarkable lots that have become treasured favorites among our retail guests and wholesale partners alike.

Every coffee sourced through Juan reflects not just quality, but care - the result of his unique ability to bring exceptional producers and roasters together in pursuit of something truly special.

The Producer:

Wilder Lazo is a Colombian coffee producer from the municipality of San Adolfo in Huila, widely recognized in the specialty coffee world for his experimental processing methods and focus on rare coffee varieties. Raised on a coffee farm, Lazo originally trained as a veterinarian specializing in livestock farming before returning to his family’s land to pursue coffee production professionally.

In 2016–2017, facing declining coffee prices and his father’s illness, Lazo and his brother decided to modernize their family farm. Applying his scientific background, he introduced precision agriculture, carefully analyzing soil composition and correcting nutrient imbalances to improve plant health and cup quality. This approach significantly raised the quality of their coffees and helped transform the farm into a high-end specialty coffee project.

Today, Lazo manages several farms in Huila’s high-elevation coffee region, cultivating a diverse portfolio of varieties such as Gesha, Pink Bourbon, SL28, Chiroso, and Sidra. He is particularly known for developing a varietal program with more than a dozen coffee cultivars, exploring how genetics, terroir, and processing interact to produce distinctive flavor profiles.

His work also emphasizes innovative processing techniques, including extended anaerobic fermentation, co-fermentation experiments, and meticulous drying protocols. These methods aim to highlight the intrinsic characteristics of each variety rather than masking them, producing coffees noted for their floral aromatics, tropical fruit acidity, and layered sweetness.

Through this blend of scientific rigor and creative experimentation, Wilder Lazo has become one of the emerging innovators in Colombia’s specialty coffee movement. His coffees frequently appear as microlots in international roaster lineups, where they are valued for their complexity, clarity, and distinctive expression of Huila’s terroir.

ABOUT THE COFFEE

Grown in the mountains of San Adolfo in Huila, this Typica Mejorado lot reflects Wilder Lazo’s approach to combining classic Colombian terroir with careful processing and rare varieties. Lazo cultivates coffee at high elevations near 1,800–1,900 meters, where cool temperatures slow cherry maturation and allow sugars to develop gradually, creating coffees with pronounced sweetness, floral aromatics, and bright acidity.

Typica Mejorado itself is a sought-after specialty variety originally developed through selective breeding in Ecuador. Despite its name, it is genetically closer to Bourbon hybrids than traditional Typica and is known for its refined florals, citrus brightness, and tea-like elegance, often compared to high-quality Gesha coffees.

For this lot, Lazo uses a meticulous washed process designed to highlight clarity and structure in the cup. Ripe cherries are carefully selected before pulping, followed by controlled fermentation that helps break down the mucilage and enhance sweetness. After washing, the coffee is slowly dried to stabilize the parchment and preserve delicate aromatics.

The result is a coffee that expresses both the precision of the washed process and the vibrant character of Typica Mejorado. In the cup, it is elegant and fruit-driven, with notes often described as yellow florals, citrus, and juicy sweetness, finishing clean and refined.

This lot captures what Wilder Lazo is known for: combining careful agronomy, experimental varieties, and disciplined processing to produce coffees that are expressive, distinctive, and unmistakably from Huila.