CHOCOLATE ORANGE | RAISINS | NUTMEG
SABANILLA DE ALAJUELA, COSTA RICA
The Chacón farms are mostly run along organic farming principles. This has remained fundamental to their farming philosophy, with a chemical-free production process, pulp from the mill being used to make compost for the coffee plants, and processes that use only one cubic meter of water per day.
In 2020 they invested in new fermentation tanks that receive the coffee just after pulping by way of a conveyor belt, as well as a new mechanical dryer for second grades. They have also been renovating the warehouse, arranging it so that containers can now be loaded directly from the warehouse.
Oscar and Francisca started working on their own but they now employ 20 people in the mill and up to 100 pickers. They pay 1,200 colones (about $2) per cajuela harvested, and a premium of 300 colones per cajuela ($0.50) is paid later for all the cajuelas picked (a cajuela – derived from caja meaning box – is Costa Rica’s unit of measurement for picking coffee and equates to approximately 12.5kg of cherries). The money is given to the head of the household – the woman – as it is their belief that money is better managed by the women of the family.
Producer: The Chacón Family
Region: SABANILLA DE ALAJUELA, COSTA RICA
Process: Natural
Varietal: Catuai & Caturra
Altitude: 1500 masl
Flavour Notes: Choc orange, nutmeg and raisins
Best for: Omni