Las Margaritas is owned by siblings, Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo Herrera, third-generation coffee producers, who come from a long-standing coffee-producing family. Their grandparents started their careers in coffee in 1945 at Potosi farm. After Juan Antonio Herrera and his wife Blanca Ligia Correa purchased the land with existing Typica plants, they added three more cultivars: Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Caturra. It was then that Cafe Granja La Esperanza began.
When Rigoberto and Luis took over the family operation in the late '90s, they took on the labor-intensive job of pivoting the farms to organic production. Shortly after taking over, they purchased the land that is now Finca La Esperanza and expanded their organic coffee production.
They've done major renovations to the farms during the past 30 years of ownership and management, planting new, exotic varieties throughout the 52 producing hectares of Potosi Farm. At Las Margaritas they produce classic Colombian varieties like Caturra, Colombia, and Tabi. As well as beautiful exotics such as Geisha, Sidra, San Juan, Mandela, SL28 and more.
Every coffee cherry begins its journey with a careful selection, ensuring only those at peak ripeness make the cut. These gems are delicately floated to remove lighter, less flavorful beans. Before fermentation, their sweetness is measured to guarantee perfection. The cherries undergo an 18-hour open-tank fermentation, unlocking layers of flavor waiting to be discovered. Afterward, the fruit is gently pulped, followed by a 24 hour aerobic fermentation, enhancing the complexity of every bean. Finally, the sticky mucilage is rinsed away, preparing the coffee for its next transformation. The beans are dried with precision in mechanical dryers silos for 3 to 5 days, where the temperature is perfectly controlled at 38°C. Once they reach the ideal state, they rest in climate-controlled storage at 18-19°C, preserving their exceptional character.
