Protecting Premium Beans
From the beginning, Hatillo has always been about protecting and preserving premium single-origin coffee and the coffee farmers behind it. Colombian coffee has always been known for its good quality, but most farmers sell their lots to cooperatives at set prices. These cooperatives then mix it with other coffee from the region. This practice means that farmers get paid the same whether their coffee is premium with exciting qualities or just a basic good quality but not an extraordinary bean. It also means that the premium beans get mixed in with regular ones and then roasted unevenly, where all their nuanced notes and aromas get lost to the mix.
Helping Artisanal Farmers
Naturally, this disincentivizes coffee farmers who work very hard to ensure that their beans grow with all the proper care to be the best they can be. Producing premium beans is not only costly in terms of financial investment but also quite labor intensive. For a while, these small farmers tended to abandon their trees and change to more profitable crops.
Our First Farm
This situation is exactly what was about to happen to the coffee plants in Piedra Larga farm. Don Alberto Echeverri, the father of Co-Founder Miguel Echeverri, owns the farm and was about to get rid of his coffee plants and replace them with something easier to grow, which would return a better profit. Thankfully, Miguel had just spent two years in Australia, where he became immersed in the coffee culture and learned about specialty coffees and their value in the market. He conducted a series of cuppings and quickly realized that they were producing high-quality premium coffee with very distinctive notes that he knew the right market would value.
He convinced his father not to tear out the plants and set out to find a way to get the coffee to the right market and give both the coffee and his father the recognition they deserved. He joined forces with Jaime Rodriguez and Diego Restrepo, and together they created the brand Hatillo, named after the region in Antioquia where Piedra Larga is located. Piedra Larga is the first coffee Hatillo commercialized, but we know that many other small farmers are living this same reality.
A Mutually Beneficial Affair
Through Hatillo, the aim is to work directly with small farmers who love coffee and are doing everything the right way. To highlight them and pay fair prices for their premium beans. We want more small coffee farms to become profitable so they are preserved, and farmers can keep producing wonderful beans while being able to feed their families and thrive. We want to create a direct line from the farmer to you, give you a taste of the place it comes from, and for a moment, transport you through flavors and aromas.
Hatillo Coffee Founders
Miguel Echeverri – The Chief Quality Officer (CQO)
Based in Medellin, Colombia.
Miguel is a mechanical engineer who fell in love with coffee. Even while growing up in Colombia with Coffee plantations all around, it wasn’t until he went to Australia on an exchange that he immersed himself in the world of coffee and became aware of the different types of coffee, specialty beans and preparations, and the importance of them.
Having been in the same situation many farmers in the country are facing, and, knowing from the customers’ side the value of quality coffee, this is very personal for him. Miguel manages the sourcing and quality control in Colombia. He meets with the farmers, selects the farms we will be working with and makes sure things are kept delicious and exciting for you!
Jaime Rodriguez – CEO
Based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
Jaime is also an engineer, Mechanical and Aerospace to be exact. I guess there is something about coffee that speaks to engineers.
Born and raised in Colombia, Jaime is a clear example of how most Colombians are not familiar with specialty coffee. Up until Miguel offered him a cup of the coffee, he produces at Piedra Larga, Jaime took his coffee with milk and sugar, lots of sugar. But once introduced to the pleasant, sweet notes of great coffee, he was on board to start Hatillo.
He manages sales and distribution in the USA.