JUAN MARTIN GEISHA / COLOMBIA

Finca Juan Martin is a farm located in Sotara, south of Popayan in the Department of Cauca, at an altitude of 2,050 meters. In collaboration with the exporter Banexport, they experiment with cultivation methods and production processes for various varieties to find the optimal process for each, with the goal of producing higher-quality coffee. The results of these experimental activities at Finca Juan Martin are shared through Banexport, providing a foundation that allows many small-scale producers to cultivate high-quality coffee.
Banexport has been providing production support for varieties with excellent flavor profiles known as "exotic varieties," such as Pink Bourbon and Geisha. Throughout this, they have continued their exploration alongside partners like Finca Juan Martin, with whom they have repeatedly verified factors such as optimal harvest timing and the compatibility of production processes with specific flavor profiles. Furthermore, to enhance the sustainability of the farm, they have also kept in mind the development of environmentally conscious processes, including nature conservation and the maintenance of ecosystems.

Stable Employment as a Foundation

The farm places great importance on employment, realizing that producing high-quality coffee leads to better working conditions, improved worker skills, and stable employment. In particular, employing skilled staff has become indispensable for maintaining and managing the farmland, ensuring harvest precision, and enhancing the reproducibility of production processes.
　Regarding farmland maintenance, because tasks such as cleaning, fertilizing, and managing coffee trees can be performed regularly and meticulously, the farm achieves management that is attentive to the entire property throughout the year, including stabilizing production volume, addressing pests and diseases, and applying fertilizer in appropriate amounts.

　Harvest precision is the point in which Mr. Juan Martin takes the most pride. He boasts of the skilled techniques used to perform harvests at the ideal maturity level, understanding the specific harvest timing and cherry color determined for each variety. For the Geisha variety, only cherries that have turned scarlet with a sugar content of 19% or higher are harvested. After harvest, the cherries undergo rigorous re-sorting and the removal of floaters, achieving a high precision rate where only 5% of the total harvest is removed as defective. This efficient picking not only leads to improved coffee quality but also minimizes production loss, ensuring that almost all coffee produced on the farm is distributed as top-tier specialty coffee without waste, contributing to maximum profitability.

Geisha Production Process

The washed process for Geisha at Finca Juan Martin employs a two-stage, long-term fermentation process: 24 hours for the cherries, followed by 48 hours in a fermentation tank after pulping. This is said to be intended to enhance flavor uniqueness and the texture of sweetness, as the high altitude of 2,050m makes the environment cool, which typically inhibits fermentation, and fermenting with the cherries helps overcome this.
　Afterward, the mucilage is cleanly removed through two water washes, and the beans are dried into parchment over 12–15 days on a parabolic patio (a greenhouse-style indoor drying facility). The parabolic patio is equipped with temperature sensors, allowing for decisions on optimal placement and the timing of stirring—conducted four times a day—based on solar conditions and dryness. They also control the indoor humidity by sending in dry air while monitoring moisture levels. By verifying these actual measurements against cup evaluations, they establish the optimal process.

　This detailed data is customized through agricultural technicians and utilized as valuable information for the many producers who work with Banexport to support their production activities.