Mayra Solis - Costa Rica

WILD BERRIES, ELDERBERRY WINE, DATES

WHERE AND WHO

The farm is born in 1992 and is still run by her founder, Mayra Solis. The farm is committed to producing sustainable coffee, focusing on forest conservation, water source protection, soil regeneration, and good agricultural practices. 
Coffee plantation is around 12ha sourronded by a 200ha of forest. The farm also hosts groups of young people interested in learning about coffee production, as well as national and international researchers, supporting studies related to coffee.

FROM THE CHERRY TO THE BEAN

After picking all the cherries are hand selected by ripeness, then are fermented in sealed plastic barrel without oxygen. Afeter the fermentation process the cherries are layed on African Beds to dry until they reach the right moisture percentage.
Most of the process in this factory doesn't require water and it allows to reduce water consume and climate impact.

ABOUT THE VARIETY

CATUAI

Catuaí is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Yellow Caturra developed by the Campinas Agronomic Institute (ICA) in Brazil  in 1949.  Arising in both yellow and red varieties, the cultivar is a high yielding, vigorous plant. Today, Catuaí forms the backbone of 50% of all the coffee varieties grown within Brazil. The name reportedly means ‘Very Good’ in Tupi-Guarani language.

Today, Catuaí is widely spread in Latin America. It is a common opinion that there is no difference in taste of the seeds from yellow and red berries, but some sources claim to prefer Red Catuaí.

The most stable taste quality of Catuaí is its sweetness, which is mainly dependent on adequate fertilization. Natural compost also intensifies the sweetness of the coffee and improves its overall taste.