Producer Info
Robert Kennedy Valencia and his wife, Ana Lucía, farm three hectares at Finca Bellavista, in La Laguna, Pitalito, Huila, at 1,600–1,700 metres above sea level. Alongside coffee, they grow a variety of crops including corn, yuca, soursop, mango and mandarins.
Robert has lived many different lives. Born in Huila, he served in the Colombian Army from the age of 18 to 25, later lived in Tolima, and eventually became an evangelical pastor. He spent several years on a religious mission in Nariño, near Tumaco, before illness brought him back to Huila. He has now been back at Bellavista for the past two years, dedicating his time to the farm.
We first heard through a friend that Robert was growing Sidra from seed originally sourced from Ecuador. Until then, he had been selling this coffee through the commercial market, without knowing the potential value of the variety or receiving a premium for it. Sidra is a highly sought-after variety, making this an interesting opportunity to bring greater recognition and value to a coffee that had been passing through the conventional market.
Alongside Sidra, Robert grows Arara and Cenicafé, as well as other coffee varieties on a second farm at a lower elevation.
