Fruit, Ferment, Future: Brayan Alvear and the Art of Co-Fermented Coffee
What happens when a 19-year-old Colombian coffee producer starts experimenting with strawberries, grapes, and fermentation tanks?
You get a cup that tastes like fruit punch and florals, with a side of “wait, how is this even coffee?”
Welcome to the world of co-fermentation — and meet Brayan Alvear, the young grower making it happen.
Brayan’s from Las Palmas, a tight-knit coffee community in the San Adolfo region of Colombia. He started helping his dad on the farm before he could reach the top shelf, but these days, he’s leading a network of 60+ local producers. Together, they’re pushing boundaries on what coffee can taste like — and what a sustainable future for smallholder farmers might look like.
So, what exactly is co-fermentation?
It starts like most specialty coffee: ripe cherries picked by hand, sorted, and ready for fermentation. But here’s where things get wild — Brayan adds dehydrated fruit into the tanks. Strawberries. Passionfruit. Grapes. Sometimes it’s a blend. These fruits bring extra sugars, acids, and aromas into the fermentation process, and the coffee soaks it all in. The result? A cup that’s not just fruity — it’s full-on fruit-forward, like jam on toast or tropical punch in a wine glass.
We’re not talking flavoured coffee. This is chemistry, tradition, and experimentation rolled into one. Think winemaking — but with beans.
And the flavour notes? Ridiculously good:
Strawberry Co-Ferment: Stewed berry, milk chocolate, cozy as a Sunday lie-in.
“Juicy Batch”: A mystery mix that drinks like liquid pie filling.
But beyond the wild flavour, Brayan’s project is changing lives. By co-developing these experimental lots with the Ancla processing station and export partner Forest, he’s carving out better market access — and better prices — for his family and neighbours. Co-fermentation isn’t just about taste; it’s about value. About visibility. About a 19-year-old showing the world what rural innovation can look like.
Also worth noting: one of his lots made it to the US Barista Championship stage. Not bad for a teenager with a vision.
We’ve brought in four of Brayan’s co-ferments this season — each one wild, expressive, and impossibly drinkable. They don’t play it safe. And neither do we.
Swing by for a pour. Or pick up a bag and taste the future of coffee — one fruit-stained ferment at a time.