WILFREDO ULE, COLOMBIA

Up in the hills of Oporapa, Huila, sits Finca Alcatraz. Wilfredo Ule named it after the film The Rock, his own fortress at 1,860 meters where Gesha, Orange Bourbon, Caturra and Chiroso trees cling to steep slopes beside a strip of wild forest. 

Wilfredo lives for the detail, picking only the ripe cherries and drying them slowly on raised beds before finishing under the cover of marquesinas. Every harvest is cupped, logged, and then refined. He is as much scientist as farmer, chasing flavour with stubborn focus. The recognition for his hard work has come from roasters around the world and a finalist spot in the Cup of Excellence. But what matters most is the quiet, constant work alongside his family and the soil that holds the farm together.

We visited Wilfredo with our friends from Maniwa in June and were warmly welcomed with lunch and a tour of the farm. After cupping his latest harvest in his lab, we selected some lots to bring home on the back of motorcycles - the easiest way to access the farm. This natural processed Orange Bourbon has notes of blueberry, lime and golden syrup. Finca Alcatraz may share its name with a film, but here it speaks of place, people and care in every cup.