We are excited to launch a brand new coffee from Colombia this week – Milciades Yonda, as part of the 121 Project. There are only five bags of this coffee available in the world this year, and we are proud to share this exceptional coffee with you.
With a juicy body and notes of baked apple, marmalade, and nutmeg, Milciades Yonda is a clean espresso perfect for the winter season. Not only does it taste like a treat, but this coffee is ethically sourced, with the farmer in mind.
Meet Milciades Yonda, the man himself. He runs a tiny farm called Monte Negro in the Cauca region in Colombia. We buy the whole lot, representing the best output from his harvest this year.
The 121 Project is a pioneering program from DR Wakefield that we are proud to be a part of. Under this scheme, one roaster is given exclusivity on a single farm's coffee for a season. DR Wakefield pair the farmer with the roastery based on their shared needs. The roastery is given the opportunity to enter into a long-term agreement with the farmer. This provides the farm and its workers with security, whilst providing the roaster with a high quality, exclusive product.
Santiago Barahona, head of the 121 Project, explains:
“We wanted to create, promote and provide direct channels between roasters and coffee farmers. You are supporting a farmer that has now become your supplier. With this project, 70% of the final price will go to the farmer, making it one of the most rewarding schemes within the specialty market with concrete results.”
The variety of this coffee is Castillo and it is grown at 1900 masl. The beans are fermented for 14 hours, washed three times in fresh water, and reduced to 11.5% moisture in a solar parabolic drier. The coffee is then taken to the CENCOIC facility in Popayan where they perform a quality analysis and prepare the coffee for export. Milciades Yonda is an exceptional lot, scoring 88 points by the Q-graders who tasted and selected it.