#149 Strawberry Cake Co-ferment Coffee Beans from Colombia

Sweet Strawberry Banana Cake! -- We all know and love the classic strawberry co-ferment, now it gets a new twist!  Blended with a banana coferment pink bourbon coffee, this is sweet, fruity, and perfect as the summer cools into fall.

• Origin: Region Tolima, Huila, Caldas
• Elevation: 1750 masl
  
• Growers: Various Small Holders
• Producers: El Vergel Estate
• Processing: Strawberry Co-Ferment, Honey & Banana Co-ferment

From the Green Coffee Developer/Importer, Forest Coffee:

These coffees are cultivated by Colombian coffee farmers from the regions of Tolima, Huila, and Caldas. Depending on the harvest season, cherries are sourced from these regions to ensure the freshest crops, then transported and processed at our farm, El Vergel Estate.

Our agricultural journey began in 1995, and in 2010 we started cultivating coffee at El Vergel Estate in Tolima. By 2015, we had successfully harvested our first varietals.

In 2017, after facing challenges in the local market, Martha, Shady, and Elias set out to find innovative ways to add value to their coffees and close the gap between producers and roasters.

Forest Coffee was founded in 2019 with a vision to unlock the true potential of Colombian coffee through innovation in processing, education, and sustainability. Our mission is to connect coffee growers directly with international markets, ensuring fair pricing and full transparency.

Today, in 2025, Forest Coffee has grown into a thriving network of 250 coffee-growing families, four major projects across Colombia, a dedicated team of 25+, and a global community of partners and roasters.

Our story is a testament to how innovation and community can transform the coffee industry for the better.

The process starts with hand sorting to select only ripe cherries and remove impurities like leaves or stones. The cherries then undergo a 24-hour pre-fermentation in plastic bags, followed by 24 hours of fermentation in cherry. After depulping, the beans are co-fermented anaerobically for 5 days with their mucilage, combined with yeast and strawberry/banana flavors, boosting the honey process with rich fruit flavor.

Finally, the coffee is dried mechanically for 10 days to ensure even moisture levels, then stabilized for 5 days in GrainPro bags. The result is a vibrant cup with notes of strawberry, milk chocolate, and malic acid, showcasing Colombia’s diverse terroirs and innovative processing methods