Located in the village of El Portal in Huila, Colombia, El Mirador is a 31-hectare farm planted with several varieties like Caturra, Tabi, Catiope, Orange Bourbon, Striped Bourbon, Mokka and more. Caturra is a core variety for the farm as well, making it a staple for volume lots.

Elkin Guzman, the owner of El Mirador, has been surrounded by coffee since he was born. His family has always been involved in coffee cultivation, trading, or retail. Collectively, his family has celebrated over 70 years in coffee now, with 12 years of research devoted to post-harvest processing techniques. All of this research and experience has brought Elkin to utilize multiple processing techniques depending on the individual lot of coffee, including Coffee Maceration, Lactic and Acetic Natural processes, and Natural Hydro Honey.

Harvest and post-harvest procedures are highly standardized for consistency and quality. First, the sugar content of the coffee cherries is measured in degrees Brix, followed by density and volumetric separation. Finally, the decision is made on which processing method is best suited to bring each lot to its fullest potential. The processing methods used by Elkin embody his pioneering spirit, combining different approaches to fermentation and drying techniques to complement each coffee’s inherent characteristics. In the case of this lot of Catiope coffee, the team at El Mirador chose a special processing method that they call Strawberry Natural. Catiope is a variety that Elkin came across during a visit to an experimental station operated by Cenicafé in Timbio, Cauca, Colombia. They told him that the cultivar was a result of crossing Caturra with Lineas Etiopes, hence the name. After planting it on his farm Elkin fell in love with the variety for its production and cup quality.

Strawberry Natural processing begins with harvesting coffee cherries that have measured above 20 degrees Brix. The cherries are sorted via flotation before being hand sorted to remove dark and overripe fruit. The cherries are then fermented for 60 hours in plastic tanks. After this initial fermentation, a mother culture of microorganisms like lactobacillus and saccharomyces which has been fed with molasses and strawberries for four days is added to the tanks. In this culture, the molasses provides energy for fermentation while the strawberries contribute flavor. The coffee cherries are then fermented with this strawberry-infused culture for 270 hours, bringing the total fermentation time of the cherries to 330 hours. Once this fermentation is complete, the cherries are dried on raised beds to reach 10.5–11% humidity.