Producer

Diego Samuel Bermúdez Tapia started Finca El Paraíso in 2008 as a small family project in Piendamó, Cauca. Today, he runs the farm alongside his brother Alex and a team of about a dozen people across three hectares and nearby plots.

Rather than letting fermentation happen by chance, Diego treats it as a precise science. He isolates local microorganisms, monitors temperature and pH in real time, and runs an on-site lab to design repeatable post-harvest protocols. When he debuted these coffees in 2015, competitors assumed he was adding flavor extracts to the beans. He was not. The intensity comes entirely from understanding how micro-organisms transform sugars inside the cherry under controlled conditions.

Region

Finca El Paraíso sits at 1,930 meters in Cauca, where moist Pacific winds sweep up into the Andean foothills. The high altitude and steady humidity slow down cherry ripening, giving the fruit more time to build complex natural sugars. Cauca has become a center for experimental processing, driven by producers who leverage this cooler climate to push flavor boundaries.

Variety

This lot relies on a deliberate blend across several farm plots:

Geisha: Delivers distinct floral aromatics and delicate structure.

Bourbon: Adds sweetness, weight, and roundness to the cup.

Laurina (Bourbon Pointu): A rare, naturally low-caffeine mutation originating from Réunion Island. It has roughly half the caffeine of standard Arabica, low acidity, and a soft, sweet character. Because it yields very little fruit, few farms cultivate it.

Process

This lot undergoes anaerobic fermentation in sealed, oxygen-free tanks. Diego introduces custom-selected yeasts and bacteria into the environment to guide specific aromatic compounds, rather than leaving the outcome to wild microbes.

After fermentation, the coffee receives a thermal shock treatment, washing alternately with hot and cold water to halt microbial activity and lock aromatics into the bean. Drying takes place at low temperatures using dehumidified, recirculated air. This protects the delicate floral and fruit notes from heat degradation and over-oxidation.