Pedro & Leo from Santa Barbara Estate: The UK Tour!

Pedro Echavarria and Leonardo Hennao from Antioquia’s Santa Barbara Estate joined us in the UK, visiting friends and talking about  FERMENTATION!

From June 27 through July 1, Mercanta were honoured to be able to host Pedro Echavarria (Farm Manager) and Leo Hennao (Quality and Innovations) of Santa Barbara Estate in the UK. The visit followed a very successful World of Coffee Show in Dublin and has been one of the highlights of our year-long 20th Anniversary celebration. 

Pedro, who has been responsible for a number of innovations at Santa Barbara Estate, in Antioquia, Colombia over the past 10 years, and Leo, who is completing a Post-Graduate degree in Fermentation Science, were able to engage with Mercanta customers primarily through two events. On June 28, we visited Extract Coffee Roasters in Bristol, meeting with their customers, bringing the supply chain full-circle. The Bristol event was followed by an engaging talk and cupping at La Marzocco UK in London. Mercanta’s customers were given the opportunity to learn more about Leo’s experimentation in coffee fermentation – much of which is based on perfecting ‘rustic’, extended fermentation practices used widely in Antioquia’s highest elevations. Afterwards, Pedro let a Q & A about Santa Barbara’s groundbreaking work investing in quality with cooperatives in Huila and Cauca over a cupping of some of the wide range of coffees Mercanta offers from Colombia.

Over the years, our strong relationship has grown to include not only Santa Barbara’s fantastic range of coffees but also microlots and cooperative coffees grown by smallholders from Antioquia, Cauca, Huila and Carmen del Atrato. Discussing this trajectory, Pedro has presented on his family business’s approach to specialty coffee and quality improvement programs with small holder farmers.

Mercanta is proud to be able to support his efforts and Leo’s in improving the quality of Colombia coffee and is pleased to be able to bring these coffees to market around the world.