Juana: the story of a bean that comes from far away
Every morning, thousands of people across Italy (and beyond) pour hot water over ground coffee without ever thinking about where it really comes from. Today we want to tell you the story behind one of our most special coffees: Juana.
A name, a person, a land
Juana isn't just the name of a coffee. It's the name of the Finca — a small, family-run plot of land in the Garzón department, in the heart of the Huila region of Colombia. The owner is Marlon Salcedo, and this land carries the name of someone dear to him.
We're not talking about a large industrial plantation. We're talking about a family that, day after day, takes care of every single plant.
Why Huila?
If you had to point to a map and pick one of the best places in the world to grow coffee, this would be it. Garzón is known as one of the towns in the world — and in Colombia in particular — where the finest coffee is grown and processed. It's no coincidence: the combination of altitude, cloud cover, rainfall cycles and volcanic soil in the Magdalena River valley creates near-perfect conditions for specialty coffee.
The clouds that wrap around the region act as a natural shield against the sun, while the mineral-rich volcanic soil nourishes the plants deep down. The result is a balanced, sweet coffee with a complexity that's hard to find elsewhere.
Juana's beans grow between 1,300 and 1,400 meters above sea level, on the slopes of the Andes — an altitude that gives the coffee a delicate acidity and an unmistakable sweetness.
From plant to cup
Juana is 100% arabica, born from a selection of Caturra and Castillo botanical varieties. After harvest, the beans go through a natural process — washed and dried using traditional methods that bring out their unique characteristics rather than flattening them.
And this is exactly where you can taste the difference: in the cup, Juana speaks of fresh mandarin, juicy peach, dark chocolate and brown sugar, with an aftertaste reminiscent of caramelized figs.
A journey that continues with us
From a small plot of land in the Colombian Andes, tended by hand by a family that puts its face — and its name — behind it, all the way to your cup: that's Juana's journey. A coffee that isn't just a drink, but a testament to tradition, passion and quality, captured in every single bean.
Next time you brew your moka pot or your drip coffee with Juana, think of Marlon and his land: it's a piece of Huila that makes its way all the way to your home.
