We Nitrogen Flush all of our coffee when bagging for an inert shelf stable environment by locking freshness inside for up to 6 weeks prior to opening
 
Mill: Manos Juntas Micromill
Region: Sotara, Cauca
Varietals: Castillo, Colombia F6
Process: Natural 120hr Anaerobic Fermentation
Altitude: 1950–2100 masl
 
Manos Juntas is a micromill in the Sotara area of Colombia's Cauca region, operated and managed by Banexport. The mill purchase cherries from producers and manages the processing, drying, and storage themselves. This model allows producers to focus and invest on the healthy production of specialty coffee, while the meticulous work of sorting, processing & drying is managed by Banexport's team. Producers are paid upfront upon delivering their cherries rather than waiting 35-45 days till their coffee is processed.
 
Upon arrival, the Brix and pH were recorded, and the cherries are placed in large hermetic tanks for a five-day-long anaerobic fermentation. After this, the cherries are taken to raised beds under a parabolic dryer to begin their 30-day process of slowly drying.
 
The keys for Banexport (Manos Juntas' Owner & Operator) for this mill program are:
Producers deliver and sell coffee in cherry form to Banexport, by total weight. The riper the cherry, the heavier it is. This encourages better harvest practice that directly correlates to higher quality.
Producers get paid upfront for their coffee, typically producers have to wait 35 to 40 days for coffee to dry before selling it.
Banexport guarantees to pay producers a fixed price well above the market value for these cherries.
Producers involved are from surrounding farms. This means they need only to travel a short distance to deliver coffee, as opposed to driving many kilometers into town.
Coffee infrastructure, like drying beds, fermentation tanks, and depulpers, can be very expensive to purchase and maintain. With this model, farmers can forgo all of this hassle and focus on maintaining healthy trees.