Once again, we're continuing our partnership with our mates, Shady & Elias Bayter (with the help of Roosa Jalonen), by featuring this lovely coffee from the smallholders of Huila as part of the Condor Coffee Project. 

Sourced from 96 independent female smallholders (who are part of the Forest Academy and the Huila Condor Project), this particular coffee undergoes a process that starts with manual selection of ripe red cherries, followed by the traditional washed method with variable fermentation times ranging from 24 to 36 hours. Drying is achieved through sun exposure for 15 - 20 days. When cupping this initial set of samples, we tasted many different lots but this one stood out to us as far and away higher in quality. 

"These group of farmer women deliver their coffee to a facility in Huila, where the quality team receives and reviews it. This region aspires to create change and become a benchmark in the world of specialty coffee. 

- Driven by quality, we consistently host workshops with our producers, covering processes, fermentation, drying, and cupping their own coffees.
- We ensure direct and fair payment, offering between 18-20% above market rate, which equates to $350,000 COP per carga, with 50% paid directly to the women's account.
- We host an internal competition among producers to promote and give visibility to their coffees and improvements. THE FOREST SILVER CUP and we're eager to involve roasters to travel here and be part of this project firsthand.

Through this project, we not only impact the industry and the lives of these women but also contribute to their community, families, and the overall progress of the region. This initiative that focuses on coffee production in specific regions of Colombia, collaborating closely with farming communities.

The objective is to assist them in enhancing their processes, improving quality, ensuring fair payment and establishing traceability. This initiative aims to directly connect these farmers with roasters worldwide and make a tangible impact in the lives of these women, especially by providing visibility and support in a male-driven industry such as specialty coffee."

- Forest Green