We are currently offering 5lb purchases of this coffee while supplies last!
This incredible coffee from Wilder Lazo’s farm is the result of years of successful experiments that have paid off! There are so many special things to note about this lot. The carefully supervised anaerobic fermentation brings out intense tropical fruit flavors, and the rare SL28 variety (typically found in African coffees) elevates the fruit and citrus characteristics in the cup. Everything about this small batch coffee screams quality, and it’s one of the best coffees we have tasted in our roastery.
We highly recommend using a filter brewing method for this coffee. A V60, Kalita or Chemex brewer will highlight the tropical fruit notes and allow the complex flavors to evolve on your palate without muddying together. Using an Aeropress is also a solid way to have a consistent experience with this coffee. French Presses and other immersion brewers will work fine, but some of the more delicate flavors may get lost.
The following coffee benchmarks have been collected with the help of our importing partners and farmers. Firelight Coffee uses this information to understand and verify the sustainability of each coffee prior to purchase. All information was freely shared by our importing partners and/or the coffee farmer or producer. Sustainability scores were determined by Firelight Coffee based on an evolving set of internal scoring methods and are subject to change. Click to expand each section below the graph for more details.
| Organic Farming | |
| Is the coffee certified organic? | No |
| Has soil analysis been done to determine the optimal fertilizer need? | Yes |
| Is the appropriate amount of fertilizer used on the farm? | Yes |
| Has the use of most synthetic fertilizer been reduced on the farm? | Yes |
| Has the amount of herbicides, specifically Glyphosat, and pesticides been reduced to no more than once per year? | Yes |
| Is any water treatment done for the water used to process the coffee? | Yes |
| Regenerative Farming | |
| Does the farm have at least 30 shade trees per hectare? | Yes |
| Does the farm have at least 50 shade trees of 3+ types per hectare? | No |
| Is there adequate soil coverage on the farm to promote soil protection? | Yes |
| Has irrigation been limited, only being done on top of covered soil? | Yes |
| Has the use of Chloride been limited? | Yes |
| Has the use of Chloride been stopped completely? | Yes |
| Is there increasing biodiversity in plant and animal life on the farm? Explain | This has not been analyzed. |
| Is there succession based biomass present on the farm (e.g. grass cover crops, pioneer trees, climax trees)? | No |
| Are all defensive and fertilizing inputs used natural and regenerative? | Yes |
| Is waste properly disposed of on the farm? | Yes |
| Does the importer have a plan to seek increased environmental efforts at the farm level? | We are committed to reforestation with native trees, because we have seen an increase in temperature at the farm. The goal is to have fully shade grown coffee on Wilder’s farm by 2030. |
| Environmentally Conscious Transport | |
| How far was this coffee transported via container ship? | 1850 nautical miles |
| How far was this coffee transported via land/truck? | 1226 km |
| Buying Strategy | |
| Is the coffee price set according to the C-Market? | Coffee is priced 20% above the daily market price for Castillo, Caturra and Colombia varieties. For microlots, the price varies depending on cupping scores. |
| Does the importer pay producers directly or through a cooperative or other third party? | Directly. Forest Coffee operates in-country. |
| What is the FOB Price? | $9.50 |
| Fair Price for Labor | |
| Is the FOB price in line with the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide? | Yes |
| Does farmgate (amount paid to the farmer) cover the cost of production? | Yes |
| Does farmgate provide a living wage above cost of production? | Yes |
| Working Conditions | |
| Is the farm fair trade certified? | No |
| Do you have an assessment of the risk of child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in your region? | Yes |
| Do you have an assessment of the risks of discrimination, workplace violence and harassment, including sexual and gender-based violence in your region? | Yes |
| Do you have policies and procedures in place for identifying, mitigating, preventing, monitoring and remediating child labour, forced labour, human trafficking, discrimination and workplace violence and harassment, including sexual and gender-based violence? | Yes |
| Philanthropy | |
| Does the importer have a plan to partner with the producer to increase gender equity in this growing region? | Yes. We have a program involving 96 women producers from Timana, La Plata, and Pitalito. We guarantee fair payment (20% above the market). Additionally, we host an internal competition allowing them to give their coffees international visibility. |
| Does the importer have a plan to partner with the producer to increase local education opportunities? | Yes. With the Forest Coffee Academy, classes for processing and agricultural practices are held once per month. |
| Does the importer have a plan to partner with the producer to alleviate extreme poverty in the region? | A written plan does not exist, but we seek to alleviate poverty by paying fair prices. |
| Does the importer have a plan to partner with the producer to increase access to sustainable energy? | No |
| Does the importer have a plan to partner with the producer to build, maintain, or increase access to local infrastructure? | No |
| Does the importer have a plan to partner with the producer to increase access to clean water and/or nutritious food? | No |
| Does the importer have a plan to partner with the producer to support the local economy through job creation &/or infrastructure maintenance? | Yes. Our goal is to increase the number of women involved in our women producer lots, and to increase the number of producers we work with as a whole. We are committed to cup quality improvements with all our partners, providing them education and, most importantly, offering commercial opportunities for their product. |
From our exporting partner, Forest Coffee:
Wilder Lazo, our coffee maverick, ventured into the world of coffee in 2017 when he lent a hand to his father on a farm nestled in the San Adolfo mountains. Driven by his unwavering passion for coffee and his family’s rich history in the trade, Wilder took a rather distinctive route into the coffee realm. He didn’t just dip his toes into specialty coffee; he dove right in. Thanks to his genetic expertise and an insatiable appetite for learning, he kickstarted a varietal program. Today, it boasts over a dozen distinctive coffee varieties, cherry-picked from diverse sources. It’s the coffee journey of a lifetime!
The process begins with the coffee beans being floated and drained, followed by their storage in green, food-grade plastic bags for fermentation. Throughout the fermentation period, the beans undergo agitation with mucilage thrice daily, totaling 200 hours. After this meticulous fermentation process, the beans are exposed to sunlight for 15 to 20 days. Finally, they undergo a 35-day stabilization period.
