Colombia Natural Papayo

rigin: Colombia, Armenia, Quindío
Farm: Santa Mónica Estate (50 hectares)
Producer: Jairo Arcila (3rd generation, 40 years experience)
Processing: Natural with 45-hour controlled aerobic fermentation
Variety: Papayo (Ethiopian Landrace genetics)
Altitude: 1,450-1,500 MASL
Processing Station: La Pradera (zero-wastewater discharge)
SCA Score: 88.7
Harvest: 2024/2025

This Papayo Natural from Jairo Arcila's Santa Mónica farm represents something truly exceptional – an 88.7-scoring coffee that places it in the top 5% of specialty coffees worldwide. That's competition-level quality, and it tastes like it.

What makes this coffee special isn't just the score. It's the convergence of a genuinely rare variety, a master producer's expertise, and processing innovation that creates a cup we're proud to roast. Tasting Notes Raspberry jam, Terry's chocolate orange, oolong tea, sweet lime

This is a coffee that rewards attention. Each sip shows you something new. Why We Chose This Coffee

At Frank's, we're always searching for coffees that tell a story worth sharing – coffees that showcase what's possible when everything aligns perfectly. This Papayo Natural checks every box:

Genuine Rarity: Papayo is one of the rarest varieties in commercial cultivation. It's a natural mutation discovered in Colombia with confirmed Ethiopian Landrace genetics – a genetic link back to coffee's birthplace. Most coffee drinkers will never encounter this variety, and we wanted to change that.

Championship Pedigree: Jairo Arcila is a 63-year-old third-generation producer whose coffees have won multiple barista championships globally, including the 2025 Helsinki Coffee Festival Espresso of the Year and placements at the World Barista Championship. When you're sourcing at this level, you're getting coffees that champions choose to represent them on the world stage.

Innovation That Matters: The 45-hour controlled aerobic fermentation used here isn't innovation for innovation's sake – it's a refined technique that brings out extraordinary complexity while maintaining clarity. Combined with La Pradera's zero-wastewater-discharge processing (Colombia's first and largest vetiver grass water treatment system), this coffee represents the future of specialty coffee: exceptional quality with genuine environmental responsibility.

It Scores 88.7: This places it in the "Excellent" tier, where only about 5% of specialty coffee exists. At Frank's, we use our infrared roasting technology and precise 30-day aging protocols – developed through our championship experience – to ensure that score translates into your cup.

Simply put: this is the kind of coffee we got into specialty coffee to share. The Producer: Jairo Arcila

Jairo Arcila spent 40 years as Mill Manager for Colombia's second-largest coffee exporter before dedicating himself entirely to specialty coffee production. His six farms in Armenia, Quindío – the heart of Colombia's UNESCO World Heritage Coffee Triangle – produce micro-lots that consistently score 88-90 points.

Santa Mónica farm, acquired in 1990, spans 50 hectares at 1,400-1,600 meters above sea level on volcanic land. Jairo cultivates multiple exotic varieties including Papayo, Pink Bourbon, and Gesha under a diverse agroforestry system with mandarin, orange, plantain, and banana trees. Every cherry undergoes strict ripeness criteria with hand-picking at peak ripeness, followed by meticulous flotation and hand-sorting before transport to La Pradera processing center.

Recent competition success: In 2025, Jairo's Pink Bourbon Coconut Co-ferment won Espresso of the Year at Helsinki Coffee Festival. In March 2024, his anaerobic Gesha secured first place at the Turkish Brewers Cup Championship. His coffees are featured by 40 specialty roasters across five continents, including Onyx Coffee Lab, Black & White, and Proud Mary.

What distinguishes Jairo is his bridge between traditional Colombian coffee culture and cutting-edge specialty innovation. His sons Carlos and Felipe founded Cofinet in 2015, transforming their family's 80-year coffee heritage into a specialty export company. Together, they operate La Pradera – the processing facility where all of Jairo's coffees undergo transformation using both time-honored methods and pioneering techniques. About Papayo Variety

Papayo emerged as a natural mutation in San Adolfo, Huila, originally mistaken for Caturra but later confirmed through World Coffee Research genetic testing to possess Ethiopian Landrace ancestry – a direct genetic link to coffee's birthplace.

The variety takes its name from distinctive papaya-shaped cherries that turn vibrant orange when ripe, with elongated b