Franklin Madrid Anaerobic

Farmlevel Story

Franklin Madrid is a long-time Farmlevel partner of ours. The first coffee we bought from him came from his farm La Patepluma, but he also owns La Fortuna and La Peña. He’s a third-generation farmer, passing on the family tradition and La Pena to his son Denilson Madrid, another Farmlevel partner of ours. His nephew Carlos, also a coffee producer, oversees the processing at their family wet mill.

Their farms are situated at the base of the national forest in Santa Barbara, engulfed by a dense fog that creates low temperatures.  Sugars in the cherry gradually develop while rich soil remains moist. It’s this type of climate that coffees from Santa Barbara gain their deep complexities and acidities.

Franklin is experimenting with different processing styles, and this is the first anaerobic lot we’ve purchased from him. He’s historically grown yellow and red Catuai, but on our recent visit to Honduras, he showed us his new Gesha nursery. The seedlings are still young, but we are already looking forward to cupping them in a few years. For now, we are excited about Franklin's innovation and the traditions he maintains.

When he isn't farming coffee, Franklin farms avocados to sell locally. He also opened a gas station last year in the town of Peña Blanca.