Colombia Marisol Ñañéz

Marisol: “My dream is for our coffee to be known all around the world.”

Marisol grew up among coffee trees, and as a child she received her first piece of land from her father to learn how to grow coffee. This moment set her on a lifelong path that became not only her livelihood but also a journey of professional growth.

Her pursuit of excellence led her to Bogotá, where in 2009 she expanded her knowledge of coffee quality and sensory analysis. A year later, she earned the prestigious Q Grader certification and gradually developed both the family farm and her own roasted coffee brand, Maras Café. Through her expertise, she supported not only her family but also the wider community—leading a women’s association focused on coffee products and gaining recognition for her work in project management and marketing.

Processing

In recent years, the family has begun cultivating exotic varieties such as Pink Bourbon, Bourbon Ají, and others. Together with her husband Dair, Marisol has also introduced fermentation processes on the farm, which were later adopted by her father Oliverio as well.

The process begins with the harvesting of only ripe cherries. After picking, a floating process is used to remove defective beans. The sorted cherries are then packed into GrainPro bags, where they rest for 72 hours. The cherries are then depulped and once again placed into GrainPro bags for fermentation with the remaining mucilage, which lasts 50 hours.

This is followed by a semi-washed step, where part of the mucilage is removed. Drying takes place in a polycarbonate dryer for 23 days. Finally, the dried beans are packed into bags for storage.