July 2024 Discovery Coffee

COSTA RICA | Hermosa Honey (Coopedota)

HONEYSUCKLE, AGAVE SYRUP

REGION | Santa Maria de Dota, Tarrazú

PROCESS | Honey

SPECIES | Arabica 

VARIETY | Catuai, Caturra, Obata

ALTITUDE | 1500-1800 MASL

ABOUT COOPEDOTA

In the small town of Santa Maria de Dota, at the centre of the coffee growers of Tarrazu that contribute to it, is the coffee processing mill and facilities belonging to Coope Dota. Established back in 1960, they currently represent around 900 small growers and hold the title as the first coffee processor in the world to be certified as carbon neutral, back in 2011.

Prior to the arrival of Coopedota, coffee farming in the area was difficult. The producers had little or no expertise in agronomy, the coffee was sold to middlemen who paid producers unfairly, and there were no wet mills nearby, which meant a long trip to be able to process their coffee. The closest wet mill was “La Raya” in Desamparados, where coffee carts were taken to for measuring and to prevent the coffee cherries from fermenting.

The varietals grown are mainly Caturra and Catuai, but some farmers are experimenting with Obata, the cross between Timor Hybrid and Villa Sarchi brought to Costa Rica from Brazil by ICAFE in 2014. This has been part of the mix since 2019. Coffee from here is picked by hand and pulped mechanically, leaving it super clean ready for the fermentation stage and drying on patios. For the honey process, 70% of the mucilage is left on the bean before following a similar path – the cherry being agitated just enough to ensure even drying without any over-fermentation.

HISTORY OF COFFEE IN COSTA RICA

Coffee production has played a key role in Costa Rica's history and continues to be important to the country's economy. In 2006, coffee was Costa Rica's number three export, after being the number one cash crop export for several decades. In 1997, the agriculture sector employed 28 percent of the labour force and comprised 20 percent of Costa Rica's total GNP. Production increased from 158,000 tons in 1988 to 168,000 tons in 1992. The largest growing areas are in the provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and Cartago. The coffee is exported to other countries in the world and is also exported to cities in Costa Rica.

Coffee production in the country began in 1779 in the Meseta Central which had ideal soil and climate conditions for coffee plantations. Coffea arabica first imported to Europe through Arabia, whence it takes its name, was introduced to the country directly from Ethiopia. In the nineteenth century, the Costa Rican government strongly encouraged coffee production, and the industry fundamentally transformed a colonial regime and village economy built on direct extraction by a city-based elite towards organised production for export on a larger scale. The government offered farmers plots of land for anybody who wanted to harvest the plants. The coffee plantation system in the country therefore developed in the nineteenth century largely as result of the government's open policy, although the problem with coffee barons did play a role in internal differentiation and inequality in growth. Soon coffee became a major source of revenue surpassing cacao, tobacco, and sugar production as early as 1829.

Source: Wikipedia (accessed 27/06/2024)