La Sierra Sunrise

La Sierra Sunrise is a light roast, anaerobically fermented coffee born from the once conflict-ridden neighborhood of La Sierra, Medellín. We sourced this coffee from the Raigosa brothers' Proyecto Renacer, a project that has helped transform La Sierra from Medellín’s most dangerous slum into an innovative urban agricultural hub through specialty coffee production. La Sierra Sunrise is more than a coffee—it's a testament to the resiliency of its farmers and community. With notes of yellow fruits, cacao, and hazelnut, it is sure to evoke memories of a sweet summer’s day. Take a sip and taste the enchantment!

Features: 

• Light Roast
• 170-hour Anaerobic Fermentation in Honey
• Notes: yellow fruits, cacao, hazelnut, red fruits
• Region: La Sierra, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia
• Altitude: 2,000 meters 
• Varietals: castillo, colombia, bourbon, caturra, pajarito, and cenicafe.
• Supports 30 farmers in La Sierra, including recovering addicts and former gang members
• Rating: 86 points SCA
• Whole Bean Only

The Story: 

We seek to source the most unique specialty coffee Colombia has to offer, and La Sierra is arguably the most unique coffee-producing zone in the country. The small neighborhood is situated on the urban outskirts of Medellin, Colombia, and less than a decade ago was a dangerous war zone. Guerrilla and paramilitary fighters vied for control over the small barrio, which itself was mostly constituted of displaced farmers fleeing the same conflict in rural villages across Colombia. 

Today, however, the neighborhood has transformed its 2000-meter-high hillsides into a unique urban coffee landscape with the help of the social project called Proyecto Renacer (Project Reborn). Proyecto Renacer was created in 2016 by brothers Johnattan and Cristian Raigosa to improve the lives of farmers in La Sierra through specialty coffee production. They partner with 13 small (2-hectare) coffee farms in La Sierra to purchase their beans at a premium before processing them using special protocols.

La Sierra Sunrise was processed using the innovative anaerobic fermentation protocol that Proyecto Renacer calls Verano Tropical (Tropical Summer) due to the fruity, summery flavors it creates. Farmers in La Sierra grow a mixture of coffee varietals, which poses a challenge for processing. The Raigosa brothers have overcome this challenge by creating this fermentation protocol, where beans are first de-pulped from the coffee cherry and then left in their mucilage (honey) state before being fermented in pressurized sealed tanks deprived of oxygen for 170 hours, producing the lactic acid that creates the distinct flavors of yellow fruits and hazelnut of La Sierra Sunrise. 

By employing unique fermentation techniques like this protocol, the Raigosa brothers ensure that the coffee not only supports the La Sierra community through fair prices—46% above the market rate—but also stands out as a unique specialty coffee with distinctive flavor and body.

La Sierra Sunrise is not just a coffee; it's a pledge to sustainability, ethical practices, and community empowerment. Each purchase directly contributes to the continued success of Proyecto Renacer, aiding in the rehabilitation of La Sierra and providing a brighter future for its residents. This coffee embodies a new dawn for La Sierra, offering you a chance to partake in a movement that brews positivity with every cup.

Read more about Proyecto Renacer on our blog.