Producer: Carlos Alberto Erazo

LopezAltitude: 1750 masl

Varieties: Castillo

Process: Natural

Fermentation: 72h Fermentation

Five years later, we’re delighted to once again offer El Para to our customers. This naturally processed coffee is produced by Carlos Erazo and his family.

When we visited Carlos last year, he spoke enthusiastically about the growing demand for his natural processed coffees. Natural processing is one of the oldest methods of preparing coffee. In this method, the entire coffee cherry is dried with the fruit still surrounding the bean, rather than removing it before drying.

Because the bean stays inside the fruit while it dries, it absorbs sugars and compounds from the cherry. This leads to fruitier, sweeter, and more intense flavours, which are key characteristics of El Para. 

During drying, the beans remain in contact with the fruit pulp and sugars, and fermentation happens naturally inside the cherry. This often produces coffees with a full body and vibrant fruit notes, distinct from more traditional washed coffees.

The challenge of producing natural coffees is maintaining consistency from year to year, especially when weather conditions change. The drying process is particularly important. Because the fruit is thick and moist, mould can develop inside the cherry if drying is uneven.

One of Carlos’s advantages is his cisco-burning dryer, which allows for greater control and consistency during the drying process. Access to this technology has helped him maintain quality while keeping pace with the steadily increasing demand for this coffee year after year.