The Coffee
Producer- Elias and Shady Bayter
Farm- El Vergel Estate
Processing- Natural, Ethyl Acetate
Varietal- Red & Yellow Caturra
Tasting- Red Fruit, Cinnamon, Honey
The Producer
Elias and Shady Bayter
It all began in 1995, when the parents of the Bayter Family decided to embark on an agricultural adventure at the El Vergel farm. With passion and dedication, they began to grow avocados, making their farm one of the most productive in the country. However, in 2006 avocado prices dropped sharply due to a disease that severely affected the crop. It was then, between 2009 and 2010, when Martha, the Bayter's mother, decided to diversify her crops and save costs by introducing coffee varieties such as catimore, red and yellow caturra, challenging the limits of her knowledge.
As interest in coffee grew, the Bayters embarked on a journey of empirical knowledge about pulping and different types of fermentation. Together with Nelson Moya, a coffee enthusiast who showed them different processing equipment, they immersed themselves in the search for specialty coffees from Colombia and certified their farm as "Rainforest" by the prestigious "Federación Nacional de Cafeteros" between 2014 and 2015. Their dedication and love for coffee began to bear fruit.This is how, in 2016, they met Miguel Jimenez, an expert in varietal and specialty coffees, who guided the Bayters in planting varieties such as Geisha, Java, Pacamara, Red Bourbon and Laurina, giving the first productions of these coffees in 2017, marking a milestone in their trajectory.
As time progressed, the farm was modernized, and in 2018, natural coffee processes were implemented, such as aerobic and anaerobic, and silos were acquired for coffee storage. Little by little they became pioneers of innovation and quality. Currently the Bayter family carries out exhaustive research on bacteria and yeasts to control fermentation together with tireless experimentation of processes, reaching unprecedented levels of excellence in their coffees. Today El Vergel has expanded to have more than 28 varietals spread throughout its lands and is characterized for being the first coffee farm in Colombia to develop the kOJI fermentation process, a process that has completely changed the way of developing green coffee.
The Importer
Forest Coffee
We love working with Forest Coffee Importers for many reasons. At the core, their quality for Colombian coffees comes from being a vertically integrated company. In other words, they keep everything in-house-- from growing, to processing, to QC, to logistics, they manage their own supply flow. This is a huge asset knowing that there is tremendous control and care in getting coffee from Colombia to final destination. For that reason, their offering list is beyond stuff full with tasty, unique and really quality coffees. They certainly make sourcing an excitement for us
Second and equally importantly is their commitment to regenerative efforts. In an ever fragile climate, making every effort possible to take care of the land that provides for so many is a crucial aspect to their business.
Our Perspective
What makes this coffee special, and a proud part of our menu, comes from the Ethyl Acetate processing. In this day and age, we believe that decaf coffee does not need to be a compromise to flavor. Having participated in 4 way comparison tasting of different commercial decaffeination processes, our production team unanimously and blindly selected the EA options over any other method. This coffee shines, and has fooled many-a-people that it is a decaffeinated coffee.
