Francisco Giraldo grew up growing coffee alongside his father and he chose to continue the legacy at El Edén after his father passed away. However, his commitment to coffee was tested in 2009 when he fell victim to a landmine. Lucky to escape with his life, he lost one eye as well as his sense of taste and smell. However, his dedication to his coffee never faltered. Now with help from Juan Carlos Arango, and his team at Arango Specialty Coffee, as well as committed buying partners like Kittel, Francisco can continue to follow his passion. This coffee comes from the region of Antioquia in Colombia. Home to beautiful landscapes and incredible people, it is also a region with a violent history. In 1988, Time magazine called the capital, Medellín, the most dangerous city in the world, and while things have changed over the years, for farmers in the region, the danger is not entirely past. This is our third year buying coffee from Finca El Edén and Arango Specialty Coffee. We are proud of the work that they do and what they have accomplished so far. Their strong relationship with Francisco, and continued commitments from us, helped during particularly challenging times for the last two years. A resurgence of activity among illegal paramilitary groups had a direct impact on the farmers and their families. With multiple displacements during the harvest, Francisco and his wife, Amparo, were forced to leave cherries in the fields, pack their belongings, and move the family to the nearest town in search of safety. Francisco continues to look towards the future and so do we. Building long term partnerships with farmers like Francisco and companies like Arango Specialty Coffee is part of the sourcing philosophy here at Kittel, and we’ll be proudly bringing in these coffees year after year.