Gildardo Lopez Hoyos and his family grow exclusively Pink Bourbon at their farm Finca Calamar in Paicol, Huila, Colombia. Gildardo is one of the newest farmers with whom Osito Colombia has been working and one of the very few new relationships amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Gildardo is also the first and only producer with whom we partner in the municipality of Paicol, in western Huila, near the shared border with Cauca. His attention to detail and eye-popping results on the cupping table have brought him deep into the fold of Osito and we’re so excited to work with him. Gildardo is a husband to Yolanda Bolaños and father to four kids ranging in age from 17-22.
When it was time to submit coffee to the 2021 Copa de Occidente, Gildardo and his two sons each produced their own lot for the competition to enter individually. Though they were already well known locally for the quality of their coffee and were among the favorites to win, nobody expected that out of 42 participants they would run the table and take 2nd, 4th, and 6th place. The results are not only a testament to the quality of their coffee but to its consistency as well. As a member of the judging panel, we had an opportunity to taste these lots side by side with the rest of the field. They stood out in all three rounds of the competition, and our personal ranking would have placed them all in the top four.
Cherries are harvested when ripe and then floated. Post-sorting the cherries are allowed to ferment for 30hrs prior to depulping. Once depulped the parchment is fermented for another 48hrs. Once fermentation and washing is complete, the parchment is dried on raised beds for 20-25 days.