Costa Rica

Every afternoon during harvest season in Tarrazú, a parade of vehicles rolls into Coopetarrazu — pickup trucks, dump trucks, every size in between — each one loaded with cherries picked that day from the small farms of more than 4,650 cooperative members. What happens next is a study in precision: the cherries are weighed, floated to remove less dense beans, depulped, mechanically demucilaged, washed in a recycling water system, force-air dried, and passed through a series of dryers to reach exactly 11 percent moisture. All within 72 hours. Not a minute wasted.

After processing, the coffee rests for at least a month in silos before milling — sorted by weight and color with the same exacting care. Coopetarrazu also runs an agriculture supply store and grocery for its members, and offers low-interest loans and healthcare access. The cooperative is, in the truest sense, a community institution. Grown at 1,300–1,600 meters on volcanic loam soil in San Marcos de Tarrazú, the Caturra and Catuai varieties are fully washed and sun-dried, producing a med-light roast with bright, complex notes of pineapple juice, blackberry, and almond.

Precision in the field. Precision in the cup.

The full farm story is just below.