Costa Rica Aquiares Natural

Founded in 1890, Aquiares is one of Costa Rica’s most historic coffee farms and sits high on the slopes of the Turrialba volcano. Producer Diego Robelo, who took over from his father Alfonso drove the sustainability of the farm. Aquiares is Rainforest Alliance certified, has a proven regenerative agriculture model and was the first coffee farm ever to become carbon neutral certified.

This centroamericano hybrid variety has adapted its Ethiopian genes well to the volcanic soils of Aquiares and the shade of the fields. The coffee was dried on raised African beds before being finished off in the mechanical Guardiola dryers. Our relationship with Diego and Aquiares estate goes back to 2017 when he visited us here in the Scottish Highlands and sportingly climbed Schiehallion with us on one of the coldest days of February.

Coffee arrived in Costa Rica in 1779 and has had a huge influence on the country's economy, culture, and politics ever since. It was at one point the country's only export, and continues to be an important source of income for its 50,000 coffee farmers.

The government of Costa Rica pushed to grow the industry upon its independence from Spain in 1821, exempting coffee from certain taxes and at one point decreeing that anyone who used fallow land to grow the plant for five years could claim it as their own. Until 1890 coffee was the country’s sole export, and income from these exports funded infrastructure like railroads and hospitals.

Today the majority of Costa Rican growers farm on five hectares or less, and most don’t have their own mills so freshly picked cherries are delivered to private- or cooperative-owned mills for processing. Some farmers have invested in their own mills in order to better control the final product, which has led to a wide range of different methods and flavours coming out of the country.

Did you know?

• On the eve of Costa Rica's independence from Spain in 1821, the local government distributed free coffee seeds in order to promote coffee production and bolster the economy.
• At one point in the 1830s the bulk of coffee from Costa Rica was exported to England via Chile, rebranded as “Café Chileno de Valparaíso” after the Chilean port town from where it was shipped.
• As of 2019, 22 percent of Costa Rica’s coffee production is considered low-carbon and sustainable, with nearly 9,000 producers on 25,000 hectares reducing their carbon emissions by 72,000 tons of CO2.

Sources: Mercanta, World Atlas of Coffee, Sucafina, NAMA Cafe

Our speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced. We work direct with farmers, or through trusted partners, to bring you the best coffee from around the world.

Producer relationship: since 2017