About the coffee

Enjoy the moment of coffee!
Coffee is the drink of choice for many people around the world, basically because it`s romantic, intoxicating and tastes very good. We can also say that, coffee is one of the largest traded commodites in the world, playing a role in the lives of millions of people each and every single day.
One of the things we like the most in Costa Rica, is to come together over coffee, because no matter if we are in our jobs, with our family, or talking to friends, we are sharing the joy of a good cup of coffee.
As time passes by, we can enjoy how a fresh coffee sends us its heady aromas into the air!!!
Believe us when we tell you that, whereever you are, whatever you do, you`ll have a secure friend in coffee.

Coffee Production in Costa Rica

Coffee production began in 1779 in the Meseta Central, an area with near perfect soil and climate conditions for this type of plantation. A native plant of Ethiopia, the blend introduced to Costa Rica had been first cultivated in Saudi Arabia and is therefore known as the Arabica.
Coffee growing soon surpassed cacao, tobacco, and sugar in importance and by 1829 it had become the major source of foreign revenue. As a nonperishable commodity in an age of slow and costly transport, coffee proved an ideal product and shortly thereafter became the nation's major export, a position it has maintained until recent years, creating a producers wealthy elite that dominated the governmental circles all through the second half of the 19th century.Exports to neighboring Panama began in the late 1820s. After a load was sent directly to Britain in 1843, the British began investing heavily in the industry, becoming the principal purchaser of Costa Rican coffee until later World War II.

A coffee plantation in Orosi Valley

The largest growing areas are San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and Cartago provinces. Costa Rican coffee is high in both quality and caffeine content and it is often blended with inferior varieties. Each cajuela weights around 15 lbs. And a good worker can fill as many as 12 per day. The hand picked berries are trucked to beneficios (processing plants), where they are scrubbed and washed to remove the fruity outer layer and dissolve the gummy substance surrounding the bean. The moist beans are then laid out to dry in the sun in the traditional manner. The leather skin of the bean is then removed by machine-rubbing, and the beans are sorted according to size and shape before being vacuum-sealed to retain the fragrance and slight touch of acidity characteristic of the great vintages of Costa Rica.