Colombia Edil Quinayas Washed Pink Bourbon

Like many in the mountains of Huila, Edil Quniayas’ story with coffee began in childhood. Growing up, he spent his early years picking coffee on neighbouring farms while helping his grandfather care for a small plot of land. Even then, he carried a dream: one day, he would cultivate coffee on land of his own. When this dream became a reality, he honoured his Indigenous traditions by planting subsistence crops for his family and community. With the remaining space, he planted 4,000 Caturra coffee trees — the first step toward building the farm he had always imagined.

In 2014, the local Indigenous council secured an additional two hectares of land for the Jatun community at nearly 1,930 metres above sea level. What had previously been used for cattle soon became an opportunity. By 2016, having heard about the exceptional cup quality of Pink Bourbon, Don Edil and his family planted 5,000 seedlings. The early years were far from easy. With limited resources for fertiliser or labour, maintaining the young farm was a constant challenge. There were moments when Don Edil considered giving up entirely — but his lifelong dream of being a coffee grower kept him going. In 2019, the trees finally began to produce.

For several years, Edil sold his coffee locally as “en verde” — freshly de-pulped parchment sold quickly to intermediaries for cash, often earning farmers less than half the market value. In 2022, a family friend, Alberto Gaviria, began helping by drying the coffee in his solar dryer and sharing samples with specialty buyers in nearby San Agustín. Prices improved slightly, but buyers consistently underestimated the coffee’s potential. However, everything changed in 2023 when Alberto introduced Don Edil’s coffee to Monkaaba, a buyer focused on traceability, transparency, and farmer recognition.

Monkaaba was founded by Esnaider Ortega-Gomez and Didier Ortega, two young producers who are integral members of the San Agustín community, being the children of generational coffee farmers themselves. They built Monkaaba from the ground up to support local growers, running the warehouse operations to ensure farmers receive both the recognition and the true value their coffee commands. Critically, Esnaider and Didier are not outsiders; they are deeply woven into the community fabric, meaning Monkaaba is authentically run by producers, for producers, fostering an unparalleled level of trust. Before Monkaaba, many producers like the Edil faced exploitation from well-known international buyers who failed to reflect the coffee’s quality in the price paid and offered no recognition for their immense effort. Monkaaba exists to create an equitable normal. It aims to build a coffee industry where recognition extends far beyond quality control by roasters, reaching the end consumer. This fundamental respect, combined with mutual transparency and sustainable pricing, forms the basis for a more resilient and valuable supply chain for all.

From the initial tasting of Edil’s pink bourbon, Esnaider and the team at Monkaaba recognised the remarkable quality coming from Finca Buenos Aires. For the first time, his coffee would be sold under his own name, with Edil finally garnering the recognition he deserves and receiving a price that reflects the coffee's true quality. Fast forward to today, Don Edil and his family feel renewed motivation and pride — knowing their work is valued and their coffee is shared with honesty and transparency. Every cup reflects years of perseverance, community support, and a commitment to farming that honours both land and tradition.

If you order 1-2 x 250g bags of coffee, they will be sent in a letterbox friendly package so that you do not need to be in to take receipt of your coffee.

Our 250g bags are 100% home compostable including the valve, seal and sticker! They will degrade in 6 months in a well managed home compost.

Our 1kg bags are currently in LDPE plastic - some councils will recycle this for you, if you are unsure simply take it to your local supermarket with your other plastic packaging.