Marlon Bolaños - Bourbon Aji

From Unblended:

Coffee has always been the economic foundation of his family, but it wasn’t until he enrolled in a barismo course at SENA at 17 that he began to see coffee’s deeper potential. Through brewing, sensory analysis, and green coffee evaluation, he began to realize that his family’s farm could have a different future.

That curiosity quickly became a commitment to quality. Marlon and his family began planting distinctive varieties including Pink Bourbon, Geisha, and Chiroso, while he turned his attention to processing and fermentation. Now 21, he has spent the past two years fully dedicated to the farm, continually refining his methods through experimentation, observation, and experience.

Together with his brothers Hemerson and Pedro, Marlon created Three Coffee Farmers. All three live and work on the farm, with his brothers overseeing much of the day-to-day farm work and other crops while Marlon focuses on fermentation, sample preparation, cupping, and the commercial side of their coffee.

Marlon is also recognized for competing at Barismo using the water from his farm. A natural spring near the farm filters through surrounding rock formations, producing water that Marlon discovered brings added sweetness and body to the cup. Using this water, he has won competitions, and other baristas have since used it in championships as well, referring to it as “champions’ water.”

Marlon’s ambition is to one day produce a winning auction lot and see his family’s coffees served throughout Colombia and around the world. He is committed to growing step by step, learning at every stage, and enjoying the process of progress.