August 2026: Podium Platinum. Olympia Coffee

Country: Colombia
Varietals: Pink Bourbon
Process: Washed
Producer: Alexander Vargas
Elevation: 1,900 MASL
Tasting Notes: Floral, Grape, Sugar Cane

Your coffee:

Alexander Vargas farms Finca La Piragua in Palestina, Huila — a 10-hectare farm at 1,800 metres above sea level that he built from bare land after purchasing it in 2009. He and his wife Lidia started with nothing but road access and a handful of coffee trees, constructing their home and processing infrastructure from scratch before steadily expanding their plantings to include Caturra, Java, Geisha, Tabi, and Pink Bourbon.

Vargas has been working in coffee since the age of 15, starting on his parents' farm before striking out on his own and committing fully to specialty production in 2006. His dedication to quality is reflected in a remarkable competition record: he has been a national finalist in Colombia's Cup of Excellence four times, placing 22nd in the 2020 auction — a field that represents the most competitive blind-cupping environment in the country.

His most recent project at La Piragua is an on-farm roasting and cupping laboratory, a deliberate move that lets him evaluate every lot before it leaves the farm. The system depends on rigorous traceability: Vargas tracks each lot by pick date, processing timeline, and fermentation parameters, using tasting feedback to make precise adjustments to fertilization, pruning, and drying. It is this methodical, feedback-driven approach that makes his Pink Bourbon lots consistently exceptional.

Your roaster:

Olympia Coffee is an independent roaster dedicated to sourcing and roasting some of the world's finest coffees. From their home in the Pacific Northwest, they partner directly with coffee farmers across nine countries in East Africa, South America, and Central America, building lasting relationships rooted in fairness, transparency, and respect.

Olympia Coffee's success is grounded in their quality-of-life mission they call Fair-for-All, which has led them to create direct trade partnerships with coffee farmers worldwide. Their Fair For All sourcing standards ensure that every producer and their employees are fairly compensated. Going further still, each individual involved in the production of their coffee should be able to live and work in safe conditions.

In order for the coffee industry to progress, Olmpia believes the industry must not only improve the lives of its partners at origin, but also look inward and examine areas of growth. Fair For All challenges them daily, and at every level of their organization and supply chain, to make their work environment an equitable place driven by diversity of thought, creativity, and passion.

That commitment extends to the cup itself, where every lot is roasted to bring forward the character of its origin and honor the work of the farmers who produced it.