COSTA RICA - PALMICHAL

NATURAL 

FARM: Palmichal

VARIETAL: Catuai & Caturra

PROCESSING: Natural

ALTITUDE: 1,600 meters above sea level

PRODUCER: Paul Cascante Ureña

REGION: San José

TASTING NOTES: Melon, Blueberry, Brown Sugar

Paul Cascante Ureña applies his agronomy training to cultivate specialty coffees at his family farm. This Caturra and Catuai Natural lot embodies the efforts he puts into the farm.

The Ureña family farm is currently managed by Paul Cascante Ureña. Paul has a degree in agronomy and even in his 30s, he has a vast body of knowledge about coffee cultivation. The Ureña farms are pristine and reflect all the time and expertise that Paul has invested in the farms.
This coffee was processed at Palmichal Micromill. Coopeagri, Costa Rica’s largest farmer cooperative, was founded in 1962 to help increase production and market access for small- and medium-sized farmers in San Isidro de General.
Today, Coopeagri boasts more than 10,000 members and continues to focus on the well-being of members and their farming communities. They spearhead projects that range from building medical offices where members can access medical care to growing an already extensive agronomy support and outreach program.
The cooperative produces organic fertilizer that members can access to help them maintain organic and ecologically healthy farms. They also run a local café that showcases the coffees their members produce.

CULTIVATION

Paul is currently investing in planting new varieties that will help him improve cup quality and increase yields.

HARVEST & POST-HARVEST 

Ripe, red cherry is selectively handpicked and delivered to Palmichal Micromill. At the mill, the cherry is sorted and then laid on raised drying beds to sundry. The Cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 16 days for the cherry to dry.

Dry cherry is stored at Palmichal and rested for approximately 2 to 3 months before being transported to the dry mill and prepared for export.

COFFEE IN COSTA RICA

Thanks to tireless innovations, the sheer number of coffee varieties, extensive technical knowledge, and attention to coffee production, Costa Rica is one of the most advanced coffee-producing countries in
Central America.
The climatic conditions in the country also play a role in the high quality of coffee produced. There are eight coffee regions: Guanacaste, West Valley, Turrialba, Valle Central (Central Valley), Tres Rios, Brunca, Orosi, and Tarrazú, a specific part of Valle Central.

Costa Rica has also become a world leader in traceability and sustainability in coffee production. Ninety percent of the country’s 50,000 coffee farmers are smallholders, and today, many deliver their cherries to boutique micro-mills that often process cherries according to producer specs to retain single-lot or single-farm qualities.

The rise of micro-mill processing, in itself, is a relatively recent development. Before the early 2000s it was common for smaller producers to deliver their cherry to cooperative-owned mills. As lucrative specialty markets developed, more and more farmers began establishing mills on their farms, giving them increased control over processing and more assurance of the ‘traceability story’ so important to the growing market segment. Mills with excess capacity would then offer their services to neighboring farmers, offering a range of processing methods for small lots along with full traceability for roasters and importers. The system has enabled Costa Rica’s small to mid-sized coffee farmers to offer a wide range of differentiated products. Today, specialty lots from Costa Rica are almost as likely to bear the name of the micro-mill where they were processed as that of the producing farm.

The typically uncertain and dry weather patterns in Costa Rica make coffee farming more difficult. Long dry seasons and unpredictable weather patterns have virtually eliminated the possibility of organic
farming. Nonetheless, both the government and farmers have taken active steps to protect the environment. Some of these restrictions also inform the processing methods for which Costa Rican coffee has become known.