Colombia - Cauca Caldono : Finca Patio Bonito
Finca Patio Bonito is a small family-run farm located in the Caldono area of Cauca, close to the hills around Pescador. Like its neighbours, it is strongly influenced by the high altitude and shifting microclimates of the Andes. The farm was founded several decades ago by Carlos Arturo Trujillo, who has devoted almost his entire life to coffee cultivation, slowly transitioning from traditional small-scale farming into the world of specialty coffee. He often describes his journey as long and difficult, but seeing the farm steadily produce high-quality coffee has turned that persistence into a deeply satisfying achievement.。
The farm spans just over a dozen hectares, most of which are planted with coffee, with tens of thousands of trees on the slopes. The Trujillo family has never relied on a single variety. Instead, they have built what is essentially a small “genetic garden”: alongside more disease-resistant cultivars such as Castillo and Colombia, they also grow high-flavour, high-risk varieties like Pink Bourbon, Gesha, Typica, SL28, Java, Pacamara, Laurina, Wush Wush and Bourbon “Aji”. This diversity is both a response to changing market demands and a way to spread the risks posed by climate change and pests, turning the farm into a living field laboratory.。
Within the story of Patio Bonito, Carlos’s daughter, Paola Trujillo, plays a crucial role. She previously worked as a cupper and buyer for an export company in regions such as Nariño and Huila, spending years on the “other side of the table” evaluating coffee quality. Bringing that experience back to the family farm, Paola introduced sensory training and fermentation know-how into daily production. Together with her father, she designs more precise fermentation and drying protocols, running small-batch experiments for different varieties so that the coffees can retain their clarity of origin while expressing more layered and distinctive aromatic profiles.。
The farm’s slopes are dominated by volcanic soils with good drainage and rich mineral content. The Trujillo family pays close attention to soil conservation and shade management, using homemade organic fertilisers, cover crops and preserved forest patches to maintain soil health and water resources, while providing natural shade for the coffee trees. Paola has also begun offering training at the farm, inviting young people to learn about coffee cultivation and processing. Her hope is that the next generation will not have to leave the mountains to find opportunity, but can build a professional and dignified future within coffee itself.。
To the outside world, Finca Patio Bonito is a farm known for a wide range of vibrant, characterful microlots. To the Trujillo family and the surrounding community, however, it is at once a lab, a school and a symbol linking past and future. On these slopes, traditional smallholder life is slowly being woven together with modern fermentation science, sensory evaluation and sustainability – and all of that is distilled, harvest after harvest, into cups of coffee with a distinctly recognizable identity.。