Colombian coffee has long enjoyed exceptional recognition in the specialty market. However, few plantations have achieved such a spectacular level of repeatability and innovation as Finca El Paraíso, owned by the Bermúdez family. Thanks to the work of brothers Diego and Alex, and a team of bioengineers, the farm has become a symbol of a modern approach to cultivation, fermentation, taste control, and sensory quality.
A family plantation with a vision
Finca El Paraíso is the flagship farm of the Bermúdez family, with Diego Bermúdez — a visionary and innovator — as its face. The family manages several farms in the Cauca region (including El Paraíso, El Rubi, Villa Rosita), which together form a coherent system of coffee cultivation, processing, and export. For many years, the brothers have been developing their own fermentation methods, with one goal in mind: to extract the hidden potential from the coffee using science, while preserving the soul of the region.
Finca El Paraíso gained international fame thanks to its proprietary Thermal Shock method — an abrupt change in temperature in the final processing stage, which helps to "lock in" the aromas in the bean.
Pink Bourbon Peach — what does precision taste like?
One of the farm's most recognizable sensory profiles is Pink Bourbon Peach. Despite the "peach" in the name, no fruit is added during fermentation. So how is this flavor created?
As Juan — a bioengineer working at the plantation — explained to us, the entire process is based on controlled fermentation using microorganisms isolated from the soil of the Cauca region. In the laboratory, yeast cultures (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and other microorganisms are multiplied. These "feed" on sugars and precursors present in the pulp of coffee cherries and produce aromatic compounds such as furans, ketones, and aldehydes.
The coffee then goes into a bioreactor, where temperature, pressure, pH, humidity level, and fermentation time are controlled. Finally, the beans are subjected to the aforementioned Thermal Shock, and then precisely dried. Thanks to this, the aroma of decalactone — the compound responsible for the peach flavor — remains stable and distinct, even between different harvests.
Repeatability that is no accident
In the world of specialty coffee, it is difficult to find two identical harvests. The amount of sugars and aromatic precursors in the fruit vary depending on the weather, soil composition, and many other factors. Therefore, at Finca El Paraíso, experiments are conducted with each batch. Hundreds of reports and data help to determine the parameters to be used for each fermentation and drying.
The result? Beans of the same variety and the same profile (e.g., Pink Bourbon Peach) will have a very similar taste in each package, regardless of the year. This makes coffees from El Paraíso not only unique in taste but also predictable — ideal for those who value quality and stability.
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