Costa Rica - San Francisco | Natural | Caturra Catuai

San Francisco is the name of a district in the Cordillera Central, but it is also the name of the farm owned and run by Edgar Fallas Solis, his wife Ligia and their son Willian. Edgar is the second generation of his family to work on this 55-year-old farm and Willian, his son, will take over when he retires. The family owns 10-12 hectares of coffee, intercropped with avocados, citrus and banana trees. The original coffee variety grown was Caturra, but Catuai and Catimor varieties have been added. The family get their seedlings from the national coffee research centre, ICAFE. The farm is split into parcels, positioned from 1,400 to 2,000masl, with the coffees for the microlots grown at 1,800+ masl. Protecting the environment is important to Edgar. He is aware of the potential impact of climate change and the necessity of adapting his practices. He uses biodynamic techniques, intercropping and the use of garlic and chilli to deter pests, and he plans to increase the ratio of organic to chemical fertilization from its present 50:50 to 75:25. The content of the sugar in the cherries is monitored by the family using a Brix meter and cherries are harvested only when they reach the optimum range of sugar content. At the peak of the season, 15 people work with the family to harvest the coffee.

Edgar and his family are members of Asoproaaa Coop, which counts more than 1,000 members, of which 300 are coffee producers. It offers financial and commercial help to members, including access to credit and a housing programme, with over 1,400 houses built for those most in need in the community.

Once the cherries have been delivered to Asoproaaa, Brix measurements are taken to help the team to make a decision on the process to apply. Patios and African (raised) beds are used. In 2020 they bought an extra 50 tables for honeys. Drying is complete when the coffee reaches a stable 10.5% moisture content.