Finca Las Flores: Jhoan Vergara's Family Farm

Finca Las Flores was founded in 1990 by Edilberto Vergara and Nubia Ayure — parents of Jhoan, Carlos, Diego, Xiomara, and Leonardo — who moved from Cundinamarca to Acevedo, Huila with a passion for coffee farming inherited from their own parents. The family planted their first two hectares in coffee; by 1998, the full 16 hectares were under cultivation. In 2006, Nubia entered a Cup of Excellence and placed 30th — the family's first step into the specialty world. Her passing left her children a legacy and a mission: to take Las Flores as far as quality could carry it.

Jhoan left high school at 15 to study at SENA, earning qualifications in agronomy, cupping, and roasting. He took over farm management when his father retired in 2018, shifting from high-volume Caturra production to a multi-variety specialty operation. Carlos and Diego manage processing and fermentation; Jhoan handles quality assessment, commercial relationships, and the experimental protocols that have made Las Flores internationally known.

"Las Flores is named in the 'holy trinity' of coffees from Lohas Beans — alongside Nestor Lasso's El Diviso and the Gasca brothers' Zarza." — Black & White Coffee Roasters

Competition History

Jhoan's achievements as both a producer and roaster are remarkable for his age. In 2019, he won 1st place at the Master of Coffee competition in South Korea in the coffee grower-roaster category — beating 162 participants using a Pink Bourbon semi-washed and travelling to Korea for an international green coffee auction where he placed first. In 2022, he won Top Roast Colombia in the Process Coffee category. In 2023, Daniel Teplitz placed 3rd at the US Brewers Cup Championship using a Las Flores coffee. Las Flores has also been used in multiple European national championships.

Las Flores Varieties and Thermal Shock Processing

Las Flores grows Pink Bourbon, Caturra Chiroso, Sidra Bourbon, Bourbon Ají, Tabi, Red Bourbon, Java, Maracaturra, Gesha, and Colombia variety. Jhoan's signature processing technique is thermal shock — cherries undergo anaerobic fermentation followed by alternating hot (40–50°C) and cold water rinses that arrest microbial activity at the optimal moment, locking volatile aromatic compounds into the bean. Drying is done on raised beds in the farm's dedicated drying house. The decaf lot uses the same cherry-selection and fermentation standards as Las Flores' caffeinated competition lots, with decaffeination applied to green coffee before roasting.

Roasters Carrying Finca Las Flores

Brew Guide