El Vergel is run by the Bayter family: former avocado farmers who switched to coffee more than a decade ago, and who are committed to continuous research and experimentation. This colorful coffee is so named for its journey, where ripe Pink Bourbon coffee cherries are selected for a “white honey” process, in which most, but not all, mucilage is removed from the coffee cherry. This process was intentionally tailored to the Pink Bourbon bean, which is naturally delicate: we wanted some complexity without losing the clean, floral notes that makes this variety truly shine.
The process begins with a 36-hour pre-fermentation in Grainpro bags, moving to a 120-hour hermetically sealed fermentation in tanks under shade, at 22-25% humidity. This stage deepens the coffee’s richness, blending sweet nut notes with vibrant citrus and berry undertones, preserving delicate floral nuance. The white honey process also smooths out some of the funkier edges often seen in this sort of fermentation, while keeping the profile bright, elegant, and true to the variety.
El Vergel’s constant focus on innovation includes diverse planting, continued farm improvements, modernized equipment, and a solar panel array to reduce carbon footprint. Native shade trees surround the area, planted as part of the ReForest program started by the Bayter’s export partner, Forest Coffee. Forest also invests in the farmers themselves— providing family housing on the El Vergel estate, and contributing to vital infrastructure upgrades at the local school. Through the Bayters’ commitments to sustainability and innovation, this offering represents everything we want to celebrate in coffee.
Together with their partner—and mother—Martha Montenegro, Elias and Shady Bayter have taken the fruit-forward profile of coffees from their region to a truly elevated level.
