Costa Rica Aquiares
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.
Tanzania Ngila Estate
In 1992 Vera and Rudolph Meyer bought a run down old coffee farm in Karatu, near Tanzania’s Ngorongoro crater. The farm, which hadn’t been operational in decades, was full of holes, overgrowth, and trees demolished by free-roaming herds of elephants and buffalo.
Vera and Rudolph lovingly brought the farm back to life with the construction of new offices, a wet mill, workshops and an 8 hectare wildlife corridor to preserve the migration paths. Today a year round team of 30 help Vera with the farm which now runs on solar power, uses organic pesticides like tobacco and native wasps, and has been planted with indigenous trees to combat soil erosion and foster reforestation.
Guatemala San Pedro Necta
From the stunning Highlands of Guatemala's remote Huehuetenango region, this delicate and sweet offering has been produced by 204 smallholders. Many of the producers are part of the Mayan 'Mam' indigenous community which have their own language, dress and deep rooted traditions. We were honored to have been able to visit the community of San Pedro Necta earlier this year and thrilled to be bringing their amazing coffee back to Scotland.
Each farmer is responsible for their own processing, rather than bringing coffee cherries to a central wet mill. This is often a very simple process with a small electric or manual de-pulper that is operated like an old meat grinder with a crank handle. All of the coffees produces by these farmers are washed with the town and surrounds dotted with small drying patios were the coffee is spread out and regularly turned in the sun to dry.
