Maracay Castillo Anaerobic Natural WWF

When Jairo Arcila purchased Finca Maracay in 2008, the farm was planted entirely with Caturra. In 2012, farm administrator and wife of Jairo, Luz Helena Salazar, transitioned 50% of the land to growing Castillo, which is resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR).   

In addition to cultivating coffee, Jairo and Luz Helena also grow mandarin oranges and cherimoya on the farm.

WWF stands for "white wine fermentation." Anaerobic fermentation is a newer experiment for Jairo and Luz. They named their process WWF because of the similarity they found between the body and acidity of their anaerobic natural and that of white wine. 

After selective handpicking, ripe cherry is fermented inside a sealed, GrainPro bag for 30 hours. The sealed bag creates an anaerobic environment where the lack of air allows different enzymes, yeasts and bacteria to dominate fermentation. The result is a coffee with different flavors than if the coffee was fermented in an open container.   

Cherry is laid in thin layers on a patio to sundry until it reaches 20% moisture content. Then, the cherry is placed in GrainPro bags and sealed for another fermentation period. Finally, cherry is returned to patios to finish drying. 

If the weather is unsuited for drying, they may use a mechanical dryer to finish cherry drying. Once dry, coffee is stored for 20 to 30 days in a temperature-controlled warehouse in Armenia before being transported to the warehouse in Manrepo, Armenia.