Jungle Berry

About the Coffee

Juan Jimenez is a second-generation coffee farmer who has been running Finca Buena Vista since 1980. His farm sits in Palestina, a small region at the southern end of Huila, Colombia. While much of Colombia shifted toward high-density, high-yield farming in the 1980s, Palestina held onto the older varieties and shade-grown methods that built Colombia's original coffee reputation. Juan grows Caturra, Pink Bourbon, Red Bourbon, and Typica on his farm.

This lot is a Pink Bourbon that went through a two-stage fermentation process. First, the whole cherries fermented anaerobically (sealed, without oxygen) for 48 hours. Then the coffee was depulped and fermented a second time in traditional barrels in its mucilage (the sticky layer surrounding the bean) for another 40 hours, before being fully washed and dried. The cooler temperatures at Finca Buena Vista naturally extend fermentation times, and Phil and Sebastian credit those longer windows as a consistent driver of better flavour.

Juan's wife, Leydi, runs the detail work at the farm. Phil and Sebastian note that her attention to cleanliness, hygiene, and processing timelines is unusually high. Phil and Sebastian have been buying from Juan since 2020, purchasing his Pink Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Colombia, and Caturra lots regularly. Finca Buena Vista sits next door to Jose Martinez, another long-term producer in Phil and Sebastian's sourcing network.

About Phil & Sebastian

Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb co-founded Phil & Sebastian in 2007 in Calgary, Canada. Phil came from an engineering background and designed their roasting equipment himself, also writing the software that runs their roasting and order operations. Sebastian focuses on sourcing green coffee from Central and South America and managing the business side. Both travel to origin to buy coffee directly.

Phil and Sebastian pay above the industry average for green coffee and invest directly in projects at origin. Their sourcing relationships tend to be long-term, as with Juan Jimenez, whom they have bought from consistently since 2020.

"Phil & Sebastian is a favourite of mine from my time in Calgary. My wife swore by their "Hartmann Honey" beans, and we stocked it (or, maybe "hoarded" is a better word) for as long as they sold it. It feels like a 'full circle' moment to finally have them in our rotation."

- Dean, Director of Coffee