The harvest is beginning in Costa Rica, and things are getting busier every day at our farms and mills! This month we’re focusing on updates from La Minita and Rio Negro, plus we’ve got some exciting sustainability news.
Measuring coffee cherries at La Minita’s receiving station
Weeding with machete at La Minita
Inspecting coffee plants at Rio Negro
The Harvest Begins in Costa Rica
Producing coffee is a year-round job, but there’s no time quite as busy as the harvest season. Our team works hard all year to prepare for this, and we’re so excited to see the results. With the harvest underway in Costa Rica, we thought we’d share a few updates from La Minita and Rio Negro this month.
First Pickings at La Minita
We won’t reach the peak of the harvest at La Minita until January, but the coffee cherries are starting to ripen and the first pickings are underway now. While we wait for the busiest season to begin, our team is continuing the year-round work of weeding – an unglamorous but incredibly important aspect of managing the farm. Since we do not use herbicides at La Minita, this must be done by hand, usually with a machete. This is no easy task with over 680 acres of coffee in production, but keeping weeds at bay ensures that our plants stay healthy and produce great coffee.
Meanwhile, in Coto Brus . . .
Hacienda Rio Negro is located in southern Costa Rica, along the border with Panama in the growing region of Coto Brus. This region is a little warmer and the harvest begins earlier – we started picking and processing coffee a little over a month ago. Our quality control team in San Jose has been able to cup early samples from this year’s harvest, and the resounding feedback is that the coffee is tasting better than ever.
While the harvest is just beginning and it’ll be several months before we start to see the first of our new crop Costa Rican coffees land in the US, we’re already excited to share these coffees with you. If you’re interested in booking forward, reach out to your salesperson or fill out the form here!
Carbon Neutral in Costa Rica
Last month we celebrated our verification from Costa Rica’s Blue Flag Ecological Program, and this month we have more exciting sustainability news: our entire operations in Costa Rica have been recognized as carbon neutral by the Ministry of Environment and Energy.
We are continually investing in sustainability projects at our farms and mills, and this recognition is proof that our efforts have been a success. We’re excited to continue finding innovative ways to manage our environmental resources responsibly.
available now
COSTA RICA, HACIENDA LA MINITA, FINCA MELICO, GEISHA
Also from La Minita’s Finca Melico, we have just a few 30kg boxes remaining of this washed 100% Geisha microlot. This coffee is a standout every year, showcasing the quality and complexity that the prized variety is known for.
Availability: 8 30kg boxes at CTI NJ
Certifications: Rainforest Alliance
Cupping notes: Orange, brown butter, toasted almond
COSTA RICA, HACIENDA LA MINITA, FINCA MELICO, LA PEÑA VILLA SARCHI
Finca Melico is one of the highest-elevation lots on the La Minita Estate. Each year, we grow a small amount of the Villa Sarchi variety at Melico, which we separate to produce this delightful washed microlot.
Availability: 2 69kg bags at CTI NJ
Certifications: Rainforest Alliance
Cupping notes: Fresh cherry, very sweet, brown sugar
That’s all for this month’s edition. Thanks for reading, and as always, if there’s anything we can do for you, reach out to your salesperson or fill out our contact form and we’ll get right back to you. See you next month!