1. Coffee is a life-long labor of love
One thing became crystal clear during my trip to Colombia: coffee is not a quick win. From the moment a seedling is planted until it bears good fruit takes years. In fact, industry sources say that coffee trees generally begin producing fruit after about 3-4 years, and more reliably around years 4-5.
On the farms I visited in the beautiful region of Quindío, I watched how farmers don’t just plant trees and wait — they experiment, innovate, diversify varietals (Pink Bourbon, Gesha, Typica), and carry generational legacies. One producer, Ana Donneys, took over her family farm and intentionally removed 20-year-old trees to replant emerging varietals, knowing full well that it would be years before full returns show. That kind of commitment, rooted in heritage and oriented toward the future, is what makes specialty coffee so meaningful.
Framed at the farm of Jesus Bedoya, this translates to: “Coffee is such a vast world that one could devote themselves to it from beginning to end–until death.”
2. The flavor you’re tasting is ~80 % due to what happens at the farm
Roasting, brewing, packaging — yes, those all matter. But what makes the “magic” is what happens before those steps: the soil, the varietal, the altitude, the processing method. The farms I visited are at optimal altitudes where conditions are ideal for growing coffee; they enrich the soil with carbon, nitrogen and compost; they experiment with ecosystem design. The clarity you taste, the distinct notes, the sweetness or acidity — they are born on the farm. When you meet producers like Edwin Norena (Campo Hermoso) and see how he and his team work every step of the way, you realize how much of the cup is already “done” before I touch the roaster.
Want to learn more about each phase of the crop-to-cup journey? Check out the the Crop to Cup blog series!
Nearly ripe Caturra coffee cherries from Ana Donneys farm:
3. It takes a village… to produce specialty coffee
At the farms I visited there were countless hands involved in the process: pickers, sorters, processing-house staff, drying bed attendants, quality controllers, exporters. One farm perched on a steep slope required pickers to climb ridges with bags of cherries, walking each day up and down — intense, physical work. Then the cherries go through depulping, fermentation, drying, milling, sorting, packaging, exporting. In Colombia, the deep tradition of hand-picking is still preserved because selective harvesting matters for quality.
To make specialty coffee happen you need that network — and when you buy a bag, you’re supporting all those hands.
Left: Washing station workers bagging cherries for fermentation. Left center: Mill attendant collecting pulped coffee. Right Center: Juan Puerta at Finca La Sirena. Right: Ana Donneys at Cafe Primitivo.
4. Producing high-tier specialty coffee is a refined science
Walking through fermentation tanks, labs, cold rooms, it struck me how much “science” is involved. I stood in a processing shed where farmers were doing carbonic maceration — a technique borrowed from wine-making, applied to coffee cherries — to bring out clarity, sweetness, and controlled acidity. This is used by producers like Ana Donneys. It was clear to me a movement was taking place, from traditional farming to modern innovation. These Colombian farms are increasingly experimenting with anaerobic and carbonic maceration techniques to unlock flavor and add value.
When you talk about specialty coffee — you’re talking process, data, timing, control. It’s craftsmanship meets science.
5. Soil health and terroir are foundational
One of the things I learned early on: you can’t shortcut the farm’s foundation. On several farms I learned about soil amendments — adding compost, carbon, nitrogen — as part of their routine to ensure the trees are healthy, the cherries develop optimally, pests are mitigated, growth is balanced. Research supports this: fertilization and proper nutrient management are key to coffee productivity and quality.
When I watched workers spreading compost, checking drainage, assessing root health on a steep slope farm, I realized the flavor you taste reflects years of ground-work.
A field of over 55,000 young Bourbon Sidra Coffee trees grown at Campo Hermosa. These will bear fruit in 3-4 years.
6. Specialty coffee creates viable careers for producers
Before this trip, I had the misunderstanding that every coffee farmers struggled to make ends meet. This trip revealed to me something different. Producers who commit to quality, innovation and direct relationships are creating careers, family legacies, and futures. Edwin Norena has become a mentor to young Colombian producers and is building his brand in specialty coffee. Juan Puerta, at Finca La Sirena, started without a legacy in specialty coffee and is building from the ground up (and he's doing amazing work!!). Ana Donneys is a female producer paving the way for more women to enter what has been a male-dominated industry. These stories matter. By sourcing specialty coffee and paying a little more for your bag of coffee, roasters (like Joylight) can support livelihoods and help build communities.
7. Relationships build trust, transparency & shared value
When I visited the farms with my team from Yellow Rooster Coffee Imports, we weren’t just buyers — we were guests, walking fields, asking questions, sharing cupping notes, hearing stories. That direct relationship means I now know the people behind the beans: their values, the risks they’re taking (replanting, changing varietals, testing new processes), their hopes. It means we can pay fairly, track quality, talk about flavour in context. For you, the drinker, it means the bag you hold isn’t anonymous. You know someone invested in excellence — and that makes the flavor matter more.
Juan Puerta (Left) and Me (Right) at Finca La Sirena.
8. My promise to you: bring the story home
After walking those farms, tasting those lots, climbing ridges, cupping under mountain light, I returned with more than green beans. I returned with stories, names, faces, stakes. At Joylight Coffee Roasters, my promise is that each bag will carry a piece of that story — the variety, the location, the processing method, the producer’s vision. When you brew, you’re not just drinking coffee — you’re connecting. You’re sharing in the dream of innovation, heritage and community. That’s what trips like this matter for. That’s why I went. And that’s why I roast.
Taste these Juan Puerta’s Coffees: