Producer: Rigoberto Herrera
Farm: La Esperanza, Café Granja La Esperanza
Region: Valle del Cauca
Altitude: 1,430-1,760 masl | 4,692-5,774 feet
Varietal: Mandela
Process: Natural
Roast: Medium
Notes: Pink Grapefruit, Hyacinth, Swiss Chocolate

Mandela is a Café Granja La Esperanza cultivar that resulted from multi-phased cross-breeding with the goal of improving flavor potential and cup quality along with resilience and productivity.

High-quality Colombian Caturra was crossed with Timor for Coffee Leaf Rust resistance, and then crossed again with Ethiopian landraces including Sudan Rume. The best-performing offspring were then selected and the varietal stabilized, with the resulting trees exhibiting both bronze and green tips. 

This layered, lively cup is a real treat—a testament to CGLE's continuing innovation and focus on quality. The freshly-harvested cherries are fermented for 36 hours prior to processing, after which they rest in a warm temperature-controlled silo for 48 hours before being dried on a solar drying bed for 15 days.

In 2012, Café Granja La Esperanza achieved a “Triple Crown,” landing in 2nd, 3rd, and 7th place in the SCAA’s Coffees of the Year competition. We've been proud to partner with a producer who values experimentation with rare and difficult varieties—the results over the years have always been worth it!