Known as the land of lakes and volcanoes within Central America, Nicaragua is a pocket for high quality coffee thanks to its rich soils and various microclimates. Coffee arrived in the 1800s with Spanish colonialists, first planted on the mesas of the Pacific plains. Today, coffee has spread to three main production areas: Las Segovias, Matagalpa, and Jinotega; characterized by fertile, volcanic soils and lush vegetation.
In the 20th century, due to political unrest and civil war, coffee farms were abandoned. And with Hurricane Mitch in 1998, much of the coffee infrastructure was destroyed, leaving a vulnerable coffee industry. Nicaragua is considered to be the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, so the restoration of coffee was important for the economy and small producers. Cooperatives helped rebuild the coffee industry, providing producers with access to markets, stable incomes, and resources to efficiently producecoffee. CAFENICA (The Nicaraguan Association of Smallholder Coffee Cooperatives) was created to earn land back for producers and educate them about post-harvest processing methods.
Today, coffee production supports the livelihoods of nearly 45,000 families in Nicaragua, representing 8% of the country’s exports. Most of these producers are smallholders, growing coffee on small plots of land whilst also growing other cash crops such as corn and beans. A significant portion of coffee production, nearly 95%, is grown under a shade of native and exotic tree species. This means that Nicaraguan coffee grows inharmony with the surrounding ecosystems and helps promote biodiversity and soil health. This is vital considering the country is heavily deforested – the 108,000 hectares of coffee farms helps preserve the intact forests and stores carbon in the soil.
In the northern reaches of the country is the region of Nueva Segovia, bordering Honduras with high mountains ideal for coffee production. It is here, in Dipilto where three farms, Finca El Ciprés, Finca El Naranjal and Finca Santa Isabel are situated. These three farms were selected for the Cafetos Blend.
For El Ciprés, through family inheritance, Isacio Javier Albir Vilchez took over the farm 30 years ago. The farm is named after the plethora of trees (Cupressus lusitanica) on his farm. has roughly 7 hectares under forest conservation, and 14.88 hectares for coffee production. Natural water sources are preserved, and the trees surrounding these areas are protected. Additionally, coffee pulp is used as a natural fertilizer for the coffee trees, a collection of steps Isacio takes to preserve the surrounding flora and fauna.
Finca El Naranjal is owned and managed by Martha Azucena Sanchez Medina, which was passed down from earlier generations. The farm has 4.23 hectares dedicated to coffee production. Janaina Lovo Silva and Jaime Armando Lovo Moncada maintain their farm, Finca Santa Isabel, which their family has been running for over 70 years, and it was named after Saint Isabel. 32.39 hectares of the farm is utilized for coffee production.
Sisters Ana and Martha Albir, who have been involved with growing coffee their whole lives. As third generation coffee producers, they understand the complexities of market access and ensuring producers receive a liveable income. They constructed a wet and dry mill to help producers with processing and sales.
During the harvest, at each farm, the cherries are carefully handpicked on the steep slopes and delivered to a processing area located on the farm. This lot underwent the Washed method, which begins with the cherries being sorted for quality and submerging them in a tank of water to remove the floating cherries.
Next, the cherries are dry pulped using either a two or four-nozzle machine and left to ferment in piles for 24 – 36 hours. After fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed in channels with clean water to remove any remaining mucilage. The used water is then placed in oxidation lagoons to purify. Once clean, the coffee is delivered to the Cafetos dry mill, located an average of 30 kilometers away. Here, the coffee is dispersed on raised beds to dry in the open sun for 3 days, then under shade for 8 days, with an additional final day in the sun. The moisture content is regularly monitored, and the coffee is moved into the shade if needed. After drying, the coffee is hulled and prepared for export.