COSTA RICA - SOLIS & CORDERO 

ANAEROBIC NATURAL 

FARM: Finca Higueronal -  Solis & Cordero

VARIETAL: Centroamericano F1

PROCESSING: Anaerobic Natural

ALTITUDE: 1,600 meters above sea level

PRODUCER: Oscar Antonio Ureña 

REGION: Santa Maria de Dota, Santos

TASTING NOTES: Strawberry, Chocolate, Red Plum

This Anaerobic Natural lot is produced by Oscar Antonio Ureña Ureña at Finca Higueronal and processed at Solis&Cordero Micromill.

Oscar Antonio Ureña Ureña began cultivating coffee in 2008. In order to reduce input costs, he’s been experimenting with new varieties – like the variety in this F1 lot – that are more resistant to pests and diseases. In addition to combatting pests and diseases, these new varieties also offer exciting new profiles and flavors.
Solis&Cordero Micromill was founded in 2018 by the Solís Cordero family to help support smallholders in 1 Solís Cordero family to help support smallholders in the Santos region. The mill provides a variety of services including cherry processing, selling specialty coffee to international destinations, selling roasted coffee in Costa Rica, consulting on processing and quality control, and export services. For smallholders working with Solis&Cordero, the mill helps them differentiate their coffee by maintaining farm-level traceability and by using innovative, quality-focused processing methods to further improve coffee.

CULTIVATION

F1 stands for Filial generation 1, which is the first generation of offspring from a controlled reproduction. Importantly, F1 plants are not genetically stable and the offspring of F1 plants will not have the same characteristics as the F1 plant.

HARVEST & POST-HARVEST 

Oscar and his family selectively handpick ripe, red cherry and deliver it to Solis&Cordero Micromill. At intake, cherry is inspected and washed in clean water. Then, cherry is fermented anaerobically in sealed tanks for 96 hours. Following fermentation, cherry is laid on raised beds to dry. It takes approximately 18 days for cherry to dry.

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 cherry 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. Prior to 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 own 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.