Costa Rica since colonial times has been characterized by having quality coffee, previously in many areas of the country there were abundant lands with the appropriate soil to plant this seed. However, through the years, many of these lands have been sold to be urbanized. Even so, the western zone continues to maintain a variety of properties destined for coffee plantations. Grecia is rich in characteristics that make its coffee, a quality coffee.

Coffee in our country is privileged because of the weather. The altitude and the climatic factors affect the size and hardness of the seed. They also influence the flavor characteristics of the coffee, such as its acidity. The main type of coffee grown in Costa Rica is the Arabic variety. This offers an aromatic, delicate and tasty beverage.

How is quality coffee processed in Costa Rica?

In Costa Rica, the coffee sector produces this product through the wet milling process. This process is when the pulp is removed the same day the beans are harvested. The beans are classified and cleaned once the pulp has been removed and prior to fermentation. This processes’s purpose is to eliminate the remaining pulp and discard defective grains.

The most commonly used drying process is mechanical, as there is also sun drying howeve, this requires a lot of space. In addition, in a climate as rainy as this, a little drizzle can affect it and influence the final process.  The good thing about mechanical drying is that it does not need so much space and is easier to control.

“Caturra” variety is one of the most widely planted in national ground. Among its characteristics are its low growth, short internodes, thick trunk and little branching. The lateral branches are abundant, short and with secondary branching, which makes the plant vigorous and compact.

There are also other varieties such as Catuaí and Sarchimores.

Characteristics of the West Valley that makes its coffee, a good bean

The volcanic soil undoubtedly suitable for coffee that predominates in the hillsides and valleys of Grecia is available to all coffee lovers who want to acquire a property for this crop.

In this region the dry and rainy seasons are well defined. Rainfall is around 2250 millimeters in an average of 160 days per year. This allows that at the beginning of the first harvest when the grain has matured perfectly, it can be harvested efficiently. Meanwhile, during the summer, it takes advantage of the temperatures for homogeneous drying.

In this zone around 800,000 and 1 million bushels of excellent quality coffee of the SHB, GHB and HB types are produced. The SHB type stands for “strictly hard bean”. As the name implies, these are harder beans cultivated strictly in high altitude zones, between 1200 and 1700 meters above sea level. On the other hand, GHB stands for good hard bean and is grown on higher plateaus. And finally there is HB (hard bean), which are hard beans grown on plateaus with altitudes between 800 and 1200 meters. These beans are known for. good hardness and closed fissure.

Volcanic soils are very fertile, with a humidity of 81%. It has stable temperatures around 21.5 degrees Celsius, so the sunlight is enough. The Caturra and Catuaí varieties can be observed. The coffee extensions are around 25 thousand hectares and are located between 750 and 1500 meters.

Harvesting takes four months, beginning in November and ending in February. The coffee of this zone has organoleptic characteristics: pleasant apricot or peach flavor, good acidity, body and aroma.

CoopeVictoria, an ally of the Grecia Coffee

CoopeVictoria has recently launched a new coffee on the market, named  “Café Mujer”, which is part of the Esencia Mujer brand, and will be marketed in this way both nationally and internationally.

This project was born with the aim of supporting family businesses that are led by women coffee producers, who are associated to the cooperative.

The project is integral and seeks to support both: the agronomic management in the field, as well as the administrative part so that they know how to effectively manage their farms. There are currently 30 women, but more are expected to join.

Last Friday, May 28, the first export of Esencia Mujer Coffee to Korea took place. The exported quantity was 375 quintals of gold coffee beans.

Alliance between the government, CoopeVictoria and coffee growers

For small coffee producers in Grecia it’s extremely important to have the support of large producers such as CoopeVictoria, as well as the backing of the government. In 2021, the different producers were benefited with an investment of ¢750 million promoted by Inder and Cooperativa Agroindustrial Victoria R.L.

This investment will be great help to all those families dedicated to coffee, which will obtain greater productivity and an improvement in the quality of their coffee. With this amount, around one thousand families whose economic activities revolve around the cultivation of the golden bean will be able to double their productivity, going from 20 to 40 bushels per hectare. This means that they will obtain 50% more profit for the same planted area, which is a reason for more producers to join the activity.

One of the benefits of these donations for producers is that they can better prepare themselves for any type of pests. Also, the cost of the seedling (which is when the coffee is planted in a box or container) is reduced to a lower price for the producer compared to market prices.

Undoubtedly, the purchase of land destined for the harvesting of this seed is an investment that becomes attractive for all those lovers of quality coffee, which in addition to becoming an ally for the buyer, becomes a benefit for a chain of future jobs in the area.