Coffee Producer and mother-of-three Luz Dary Polo is making a name for herself in the specialty coffee world. Her anaerobic fermentation processing method has earned her a reputation for producing exceptional lots with complex and unique flavour profiles (much like the one currently on our single origin menu!).
Female coffee growers are becoming more prevalent, and Luz Dary is one of those women challenging the norms and striving for excellence.
We were lucky enough to ask Luz Dary about her fermentation process and her thoughts on the evolution of female coffee growers within the specialty coffee industry.
How did you get started growing coffee?
I started growing coffee 14 years ago at my ex-husband's farm and fell in love with it. Four years ago I was able to purchase my own farm (La Esperanza), where I decided to plant Caturra trees and recently added some Pink Bourbon.
What is your approach to specialty coffee and processing?
Aside from the ideal soil, varietal and climate, experimenting with processing is important in order to differentiate yourself from other growers and it has improved my cup profile.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far?
The biggest challenges I have faced these last 10 years is the lack of labor to work at the farm, and the continuous raise in price for fertilisers.
Tell us briefly about the how you start your day… is it with a cup of coffee?
The first thing I do when I wake up is to thank God for every single thing in my life, then yes I have a cup of coffee.
How do you see the women coffee grower landscape evolving over time?
I see most woman growing coffee getting involved with specialty, 8 out of 10 woman coffee growers in my town are these days producing coffee for the specialty coffee market.
Here are the steps to Luz Dary's anaerobic fermentation, a key factor in how she achieves her unique cup profile:
Step 1. Cherries are picked as ripe as possible.
Step 2. Cherries are floated and hand sorted in order to ensure only the best cherries are selected.
Step 3. Cherries are placed inside picking bags at the cooler spot of the wet mill (below 20 degrees celsius).
Step 4. Cherries are left to ferment for 70 hours.
Step 5. Afterwards, they're pulped and placed back in grain pro bags or picking bags and left to ferment for another 70 hours.
Step 6. Finally, coffee is left to dry until ideal moisture content is achieved.
Find the Colombia Luz Dary Polo on our single origin for espresso menu here and in our stores!
Special thanks to our friends at Cofinet for facilitating this interview with Luz Dary!
Padre Coffee acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continued connections to land, sea and community.
We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
