Mandela
XO Natural
La Esperanza, Cafe Granja La Esperanza

Tastes Like: Maraschino, Tropical, Dried Fruits

Origin: La Esperanza, Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Variety: Mandela

Producer: Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo Herrera

Elevation: 1,430–1,760 masl

Process:  XO Natural

About Finca La Esperanza, Cafe Granja La Esperanza

Café Granja La Esperanza is the Herrera family’s specialty coffee project in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, led by brothers Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo Herrera. The family’s coffee history began at Potosí in 1945, when Juan Antonio Herrera and Blanca Ligia Correa built on existing Typica plantings and introduced Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, and Caturra. In the late 1990s, Rigoberto and Luis began expanding the operation and sharpening its focus on specialty varieties, controlled processing, and high-end microlot production.

La Esperanza is one of Café Granja La Esperanza’s key farms, planted across multiple lots in a humid mountain environment. The farm is part of a broader production system known for careful variety selection, precise fermentation, and controlled drying, allowing lots like this Mandela XO Natural to show concentrated fruit, liqueur-like sweetness, and a defined cup structure.

Variety

Mandela is a Café Granja La Esperanza cultivar developed through several breeding stages involving Caturra, Timor Hybrid and Ethiopian material. It was selected for both cup-quality potential and useful farming traits. Its expression depends on the farm, harvest and processing preparation.

Processing

Selected cherries are sorted by flotation and checked for ripeness before fermenting in GrainPro bags for 70 hours. The bags are periodically turned during fermentation. Drying begins mechanically and continues on raised beds, followed by a resting period before milling. The fruit remains around the seed through this natural preparation.