Meet Zuly Paya

High in the hills of Nátaga, Huila, at 1,950 metres above sea level, sits a farm called El Mirador — "the lookout." It belongs to Zuly Yojana Paya Malagón, a 37-year-old farmer and genuine force in her community. She's the past-president of the local rural women's board, and she's spent years championing other women farmers in the area.

El Mirador is a small, family-run operation — 5 hectares in total, with 3 given over to coffee. Zuly grows Caturra, Cenicafé and Pink Bourbon there alongside her husband, Fabian, while their daughter Natalia studies at university in Neiva. It's proper family coffee, grown by people who know every plant on the hillside.

This lot is 100% Pink Bourbon, and it's not rushed. The ripe cherries get a 24-hour whole-cherry fermentation before depulping, then a second 48-hour fermentation in sealed drums. After that, they're washed clean in fresh mountain water and laid out on raised beds for at least two weeks to dry slowly to around 11% moisture. It's a slower, more deliberate process — and it's exactly why the cup is so layered: apricot, bergamot, peach and jasmine, all at once.

From there, the parchment travels three hours to Neiva, where it's milled and sorted to EP10 8-35 — the top grade for washed Colombian coffee.

Zuly has been growing for Arcadia since 2023, and her first-ever export happened in 2024. This year, we've brought over El Mirador's entire production — every bean this farm made, on its way to your cup. She's currently working with other local producers on a women-only regional blend, due later this year, and we couldn't be prouder to back her.