History & Origins
Finca Monteblanco, located high along the winding mountain roads of Vereda La Tocora in the San Adolfo municipality above Pitalito, is a family farm managed by Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia in the tradition of coffee cultivation that began with his grandfather.
Rodrigo Sanchez is a third-generation coffee producer , carrying forward a legacy that spans decades in the heart of Huila’s coffee-producing region. Monteblanco’s 18 hectares sit on the crest of a hill, with the wetmill and drying facilities at the top of the farm and slopes of coffee planted below.
The transformation of Monteblanco from a traditional family farm to an internationally recognized specialty coffee producer began in 2002. In 2002 Rodrigo participated in a local program teaching local children of coffee producers to cup. Before that, he and his family had never considered coffee in terms of cup profile. By learning to differentiate profiles, he and his father and grandfather were able to make the connections between the farming techniques they applied and coffee’s resulting attributes in the cup. This pivotal moment sparked Rodrigo’s quest for consistent quality rather than the one-time competition victories common among regional farms.
This led him to explore the trees planted on Monteblanco, where he discovered various varieties his grandfather had planted in the 1980’s. One of these varieties is Purple Caturra, a type of Caturra whose cherries ripen to a deep purple color.
Rodrigo learned that his grandfather had bought those seedlings in San Adolfo during the early 80’s during a leaf rust attack of la roya when he had to replace a portion of the farm’s trees. In San Adolfo and Palestina, the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation ran an experimental farm in the 50’s and 60’s planted with 500 varieties, so Rodrigo and his grandfather think the trees probably originated from that farm. Today, Rodrigo is proud that he, his wife Claudia Samboni, farm manager Don Gerardo, and the team that works in the fields and at the mill have reached the goal of achieving consistent quality. Finca Monteblanco produces microlots with each harvest that serve as competition coffees around the world, but the farm also consistently produces containers of delicious coffees that appear year-round on café menus and retail shelves. By applying an ethic of rigorous monitoring, planning, and management at each stage of production and processing, all coffees from Monteblanco showcase their full potential.
Terroir & Growing Conditions
Monteblanco sits within Huila’s exceptional coffee-growing terroir, where Huila is framed by the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes, with most of it sitting in the Magdalena Valley. This provides great variation in climate: according to the FNC, temperatures on farms vary from 17°C (62.5°F) to 23°C (73.5°F). Most of these farms are between 1,200 and 1,800 m.a.s.l. They also benefit from the nitrogen-rich volcanic soil.
Finca Monteblanco is situated at 1730 meters elevation , placing it in the optimal altitude range for producing complex, high-quality arabica coffee.
The farm benefits from climate with temperatures ranging from 16 to 22 degrees Celsius, ideal for its diverse coffee cultivars. With approximately 1700 hours of annual sunlight, the farm harnesses ample light for optimal crop growth. The soils, primarily of volcanic origin and rich in nitrogen, further enhance the quality of the coffee produced at Monteblanco.
The ideal conditions for the cultivation of this species in Colombia are found between the 1.200 (4,000 ft) and 1.800 meters (6,000 ft) above the sea level, with temperatures between 17 and 23 degrees centigrade (62-75 fahrenheit) and with precipitations close to 2.000 millimeters (78 inch) per year, well distributed along the year.
The unique microclimate of Monteblanco has proven ideal for cultivating rare and exotic varieties. Monteblanco sits surrounded by the Cueva de los Guacharos National Natural Park, and rests right by the Suaza River Valley.
Huila’s coffee crops are truly special: they grow bathed by waters that feed the Magdalena, Colombia’s most important river. On the slopes of the Andean massif grow different aromatic crops with distinct flavors, such as cocoa, various fruits and sugarcane. These plants grow near the coffee plantations, leaving an incomparable trace: they adorn the beans with special nuances and notes. Climate change has necessitated adaptation, as harvesting and processing on Monteblanco have had to evolve with the times, adapting to a changing climate that yields harvest times dispersed through ten months of the year rather than in a concentrated peak.
Processing & Production
Monteblanco has emerged as a leader in innovative coffee processing, with Rodrigo Sánchez pioneering experimental fermentation techniques that have garnered international attention. Rodrigo Sanchez has built a name as not only a producer delivering consistent quality, but as someone finding new approaches to Colombian coffee as a whole. The farm operates as an experimental farm where Rodrigo and his team at Aromas del Sur—the parent company for La Loma, El Progreso, and Monteblanco farms and the Aromas del Sur dry mill (El Puente)—built a cupping lab on La Loma to facilitate sample roasting, crop evaluation, and sourcing at the origin.
Traditional processing begins with careful cherry selection and sugar content measurement. All cherries harvested are measured for degrees Brix. Based on sugar content indicated, the team at Aromas del Sur, the umbrella group of Monteblanco, Progreso, and La Loma farms, then designates which processing method is appropriate. Coffees with 24–27 degrees Brix are processed as washed coffees, beginning with depulping cherries the day they are harvested. Coffee is fermented between 28 and 32 hours, fully washed with clean water, transferred to the solar dryer for several days, and finally moved to shaded raised beds to complete the drying process.
Rodrigo’s innovative co-fermentation processes have redefined Colombian coffee possibilities. Rodrigo used different fruits and ingredients such as passionfruit, pineapple, lemon and mint with panela and molasses to feed on enzymes that were naturally extracted. On one hand to enhance the desirable flavours for the enzymes, and on the other hand providing them with enough sugar for prolonged fermentation. The process of cultivating enzymes to his ideal outcome took up to 190hrs. After that, another 180hrs was spent for the fermentation process of enzymes and coffee cherries in an air-tight environment. Rather than crude fruit fermentation, Rodrigo Sanchez uses lactic acid bacteria and yeasts formed from various parent bacteria cultures like Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lactic acid bacteria using microbes found in the environment. These bacterias and yeasts were fed with passion fruit during cultivaiton. Passion fruit adds not only flavour, but it also acts as sugar, allowing the mother cultures to continue to grow.
Coffees from Monteblanco are milled and prepared for export at the new, state-of-the-art Aromas del Sur drymill in Pitalito.
Cup Profile & Tasting Notes
Monteblanco’s diverse varieties and processing methods yield an remarkable spectrum of flavor profiles, consistently earning recognition in international competitions. In 2017, coffees displaying the unique varieties and processes used at Finca Monteblanco won first place in the Yara Championship, a quality competition. He placed second the following year with another lot from Finca Monteblanco. In 2019, Rodrigo participated in the Roasters United competition and two of his coffees placed first and third.
The farm’s Pink Bourbon exemplifies the complexity achievable through careful cultivation and processing. This complex cup profile has a syrupy mouthfeel, light spice notes and delightful sweet undertones. The notes change as the coffee cools, making for a unique experience with each sip. Specific tasting notes for Pink Bourbon include honey, green apple, nutmeg, pink lemonade, cardamom, muscovado sugar , while the variety scores consistently high with a cup score of 88.75 .
Monteblanco’s experimental lots showcase Rodrigo’s mastery of fermentation science. The tropical natural process yields tropical fruits, mango, passionfruit, yogurt, pink guava notes, while co-fermented lots produce even more dramatic profiles. Watermelon co-fermentation creates notes of watermelon, honeydew, raspberry . The farm’s traditional washed coffees maintain the classic Huila profile of chocolate, plum, orange, juicy characteristics. Gesha lots from Monteblanco demonstrate the variety’s ethereal qualities while expressing the unique terroir of this exceptional farm, cementing Rodrigo Sánchez’s reputation as one of Colombia’s most innovative and quality-focused producers.