Marco Fidel lives with his wife and two daughters in Las Cochitas. His two other children are independent and grow coffee on the parcels of land Marco gifted them from his 2.5-hectare farm, Finca Los Arrayanes. They all share a small wet mill to process their coffee and sell it to Pergamino as a family. The Lopez family is also growing aniz and corn with a plot of coffee.

While things are now going well, the journey for Marco Fidel’s family to get here has not been easy. Over 20 years ago, the area was under control of illegal armed groups that only allowed the cultivation and commercialization of poppy plants. During this fearful time, Marco Fidel’s family could only grow this crop, but they were able to switch to coffee as soon as the government regained control of the area and removed the guerrilla groups. Even though Marco Fidel carries the weight of a hard life, he only speaks optimistically when asked about the future.

Passionate about specialty and always trying to improve his coffee, Marco Fidel now ferments his harvest for two days after de-pulping. He then ferments it another two days without water before washing and patio-drying. This leads to the fruity profile of his coffee and his son’s, adding complexity to the typically bright and citric profile of a Buesaco lot.