Whether related to environmental impact, artistic culture or social awareness, Milwaukee's Alterra Coffee Roasters are constantly up to something. Tonight, they bring farmer to customer to localize sustainable farming practices with an event for Colombian coffee farmer Nelson Melo, owner of Finca Las Acacias.

Melo, who resides in Colombia with his family, visits Milwaukee today to see his coffee crop fully roasted and talk with Milwaukeeans about sustainable farming practices.

Thoroughly impressed by Melo's farm, Alterra purchased Melo's entire crop to offer an exclusive micro-lot coffee, "El Castillo." "El Castillo" is available for a limited time in bulk, exclusively to Alterra customers.

In a press release, Alterra coffee buyer George Bregar said, "We can't say enough about the quality of this coffee -- citrus and jasmine aromas are followed by flavors suggesting malbec and melon. This will be the only time we can offer his coffee until we try next year's harvest so this is definitely something you won't want to miss."

Tonight, Alterra celebrates Melo's visit with a special tasting at Alterra, 2211 N. Prospect Ave. Staff and ticket holders are invited to join for a tasting of "El Castillo" and to hear Melo speak about sustainable farming practices employed on his farm in Colombia.

Recently, Melo and Alterra were featured on The Discovery Channel show "How Stuff Works -- Coffee;" you can catch clips of the show at tonight's event.

Tickets are free with the purchase of Melo's "El Castillo" at any Alterra location. Check out the Alterra Web site for details.