Why Estate Grown? Nicaragua Caturra

Mists in the coffee forests of Nicaraugua

What does “estate grown” mean? We love Fair Trade, but it has a blind spot to integrated farms like the one owned by Martha Veronia Lopez in Nicaragua. This from our importers is what we look for in sustainable, responsible trade estate coffees:

Martha Veronica Lopez inherited her mothers coffee farm, established in 1903, in the mountains providing a stellar view over Jinotega, one of the most famous and well-known coffee producing regions of Nicaragua.

A drive to the farm is straight into the clouds, where shade trees planted over 100 years ago tower over the coffee trees below. Almost half of the farm is left as natural jungle to protect the environment, springs of water, and congo monkey habitat.

Income from the farm’s coffee is currently being used to make improvements to the local school, install a small health clinic, and renovate workers’ housing. Beans are wet processed on the farm late in Nicaragua’s traditional harvest period (due to a microclimate of colder temperatures and often heavy cloud-cover) and are sun-dried in a valley far below.

Cupping notes: Balanced, juicy, floral, citrus, delicate, orange, sweet aftertaste.