Royal Coffee New York and Costa Rica Specialty Coffee
Royal Coffee New York has sourced Costa Rica specialty coffee from three main regions for years: Tarrazu, the Central Valley, and the West Valley. There have been large lots and small lots, from full containers to very small single-producer micro lots. We’ve been very happy to work directly with producers. We consider them to be not only partners, but friends. Altogether, this year we’ve been very happy with our arrivals from Costa Rica. The challenge over the last few years that we’ve run into has been bridging the gap between larger macro lots and the micros. Additionally, finding a quality level that everyone in the supply chain is happy with has been difficult. The Las Lomas project was started to address that issue.
Behind the Scenes of Las Lomas
To put together such a project, we needed to work closely with a local partner we knew could deliver a traceable, high-scoring “macro” lot. Coop Naranjo was the logical choice. The Coop has been around since the 1960’s. They have a large network of producers, and are well-situated to guide the production of superior-quality coffee. Furthermore, Royal NY has a long history with Coop Naranjo dating back more than eight years. Through close cooperation with Coop Naranjo, we were able to design a program to source traceable, high-end lots of coffee from the West Valley in a way that was inclusive to all members of the coop and paid a price premium for superior harvesting and preparation.
Traceability was key. Given the increasing demand to know where coffee comes from down to the individual producer in many cases, there needed to be constant, consistent conversations between the individual producers and the Coop that would allow for important information to be relayed and assure the best possible deliveries of fully ripe cherries for this project.
To ensure quality, they would do inspections at every point in the production process. They sent agronomists to the individual farms to check maturation levels of the coffee trees. This occurred at each farm, guaranteeing that they would only harvest cherries that were at the peak of ripeness. Further inspections would happen at the mill throughout processing, with feedback given to the producers as needed.
Fair Pay for Costa Rica Specialty Coffee
Of course, when producers deliver great coffee, we should pay them fairly for it. The standards (and labor costs) for this coffee are higher than what’s normally expected. Because of this, we placed a price premium on the Las Lomas lots to encourage the highest possible quality. The project was open to all members of Coop Naranjo with farms between 1,300 and 1,700 meters above sea level, and offers an excellent opportunity for new producers to access new markets. Allowing all members of the Coop to join the project motivates the production of excellent coffee now, and into the future.
Arrivals
We’ve cupped through six different washed offerings from a specific Loma or mountain range that was identified by the coop to produce higher quality coffee in Naranjo. We’ve selected three specific areas within that mountain range. Each of these lots are named below for their location. Canuela, Lourdes, and San Juanillo. Despite all of these coffees being from one specific mountain range in the West Valley, they each bring something a little different to the final cup.
Please note that we offer these coffees in less than full container loads. They are in short supply. Please be sure to contact your trader if you’re interested in carrying any of these coffees.
Preshipment cupping notes include:
