Colombia Sierra Nevada Bird Friendly® Coffee

Big Year Coffee is partnering with InConexus and the growers of the Vista Hermosa farm in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta for this Bird Friendly® release. InConexus is a Colombian organization that has spent more than two decades building direct, sustainable relationships with smallholder growers, with a particular focus on conserving forests as biological corridors for endemic and migratory birds. Through programs like Grupo Sierra, they support farmers in the Sierra Nevada in maintaining organic and conservation practices, technical training, and full traceability from farm to export.

Vista Hermosa sits in the Sierra Nevada, a Caribbean coastal range distinct from the Andes that hosts a remarkable density of resident and migratory species. Coffee here grows under a diverse canopy of native shade trees, the kind of intercropped, multi-layered habitat that Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification is built to protect. That canopy is what makes this coffee more than a cup. It is a living signal that the forest, the birds, and the people who tend the land are all thriving together.

This lot is fully washed and processed through the InConexus dry mill, where the coffee is graded, cupped, and stored before export to ensure quality and consistency. By sourcing from Vista Hermosa through InConexus, Big Year Coffee supports conservation that protects bird habitat while bringing a clean, expressive Colombian coffee to your cup.

Farm: Vista Hermosa, sourced through InConexus

Region: Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Variety: Castillo

Processing Method: Fully washed

Tasting Notes: A hearty and balanced bright cup leaning heavily into walnut and chocolate.

Certifications: USDA Organic, and Smithsonian Bird Friendly®.

Feature Species: Santa Marta Antbird Drymophila hellmayri

The Santa Marta Antbird is a rare, endemic, forest-dwelling bird found only in the dense understory of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. Endemic to this unique mountain range, it plays an important role in the ecosystem by helping control insect populations and maintaining healthy undergrowth. For local communities, this species embodies the region’s natural heritage and reminds us that the forests where our coffee is grown are more than just terrain. They are living, thriving systems that nurture birds, trees, and people alike.