Tasting experience: Cherry Blossom, Tropical Fruits, Vanilla
Country: Colombia
Continent: South America
Farm/Lot: El Vergel / Elias & Shady Bayter
Roast: Light (City)
Process: Natural, Co-Fermentation with Cherries
Varietal: Castillo + Colombia
Forest Coffee & Process Summary
These coffees are grown by Colombian coffee farmers in the regions of Tolima, Huila, and Caldas. Depending on the harvest season, fresh cherries are sourced from these regions and transported to El Vergel Estate in Tolima for processing.
The story of El Vergel began in 1995, with coffee cultivation starting on the estate in 2010. By 2015, the first varietals were successfully harvested. In 2017, after facing challenges in the local market, Martha, Shady, and Elias began exploring new ways to add value to their coffees while creating stronger connections between producers and roasters.
That vision led to the founding of Forest Coffee in 2019. Built around innovation, education, sustainability, and transparency, Forest Coffee works to unlock the full potential of Colombian coffee while helping growers access international markets and receive fair pricing.
Today, in 2026, Forest Coffee has grown into a network of 250 coffee-growing families, four major projects across Colombia, a team of more than 25 people, and a global community of roasters and partners.
For this coffee, Colombia and Caturra cherries are carefully handpicked and brought to El Vergel Estate, where they are hand-sorted again to ensure quality, freshness, and uniform ripeness. The cherries then undergo a 48-hour anaerobic pre-fermentation in sealed bags, helping build sweetness, structure, and flavor complexity.
After pre-fermentation, the coffee moves into a co-fermentation stage with yeast, red cherry flavor, and sugarcane. This extended five-day fermentation is designed to enhance the coffee’s fruit-forward profile while adding depth, complexity, and balanced sweetness.
Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is pre-dried under direct sunlight on raised beds, then finished in static mechanical silos under controlled conditions until the ideal moisture level is reached. Finally, the coffee rests for 30 days to stabilize, allowing the flavors to fully settle and mature before export.
Overall, this coffee represents Forest Coffee’s commitment to innovation, community, and a more transparent coffee supply chain — serious processing, big flavor, and a lot of heart behind the cup.
Tasting experience: Cherry Blossom, Tropical Fruits, Vanilla
Country: Colombia
Continent: South America
Farm/Lot: El Vergel / Elias & Shady Bayter
Roast: Light (City)
Process: Natural, Co-Fermentation with Cherries
Varietal: Castillo + Colombia
Forest Coffee & Process Summary
These coffees are grown by Colombian coffee farmers in the regions of Tolima, Huila, and Caldas. Depending on the harvest season, fresh cherries are sourced from these regions and transported to El Vergel Estate in Tolima for processing.
The story of El Vergel began in 1995, with coffee cultivation starting on the estate in 2010. By 2015, the first varietals were successfully harvested. In 2017, after facing challenges in the local market, Martha, Shady, and Elias began exploring new ways to add value to their coffees while creating stronger connections between producers and roasters.
That vision led to the founding of Forest Coffee in 2019. Built around innovation, education, sustainability, and transparency, Forest Coffee works to unlock the full potential of Colombian coffee while helping growers access international markets and receive fair pricing.
Today, in 2026, Forest Coffee has grown into a network of 250 coffee-growing families, four major projects across Colombia, a team of more than 25 people, and a global community of roasters and partners.
For this coffee, Colombia and Caturra cherries are carefully handpicked and brought to El Vergel Estate, where they are hand-sorted again to ensure quality, freshness, and uniform ripeness. The cherries then undergo a 48-hour anaerobic pre-fermentation in sealed bags, helping build sweetness, structure, and flavor complexity.
After pre-fermentation, the coffee moves into a co-fermentation stage with yeast, red cherry flavor, and sugarcane. This extended five-day fermentation is designed to enhance the coffee’s fruit-forward profile while adding depth, complexity, and balanced sweetness.
Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is pre-dried under direct sunlight on raised beds, then finished in static mechanical silos under controlled conditions until the ideal moisture level is reached. Finally, the coffee rests for 30 days to stabilize, allowing the flavors to fully settle and mature before export.
Overall, this coffee represents Forest Coffee’s commitment to innovation, community, and a more transparent coffee supply chain — serious processing, big flavor, and a lot of heart behind the cup.
