Crowd-Pleaser

SHIPPING

All orders ship out fresh on Wednesdays

HOW SUBSCRIPTIONS WORK:

1. No shipping costs 
2. No contract, cancel anytime

 

Relational trade via https://www.allycoffee.com and http://onyxcoffee.com

INFO

Origin: Guatemala 
Region: Huehuetenango
Farm: "Buena Esperanza" or "Good Hope" 
Farmer: Noé Castillo
Processing: Fully Washed
Variety: Catuai, Caturra, Bourbon
Elevation: 6,200 feet

Origin: Brazil
Region: Mantiqueira de Minas 
Farm: Sitio Engenho
Farmer: Vanderson Goulart Junho
Processing: Natural 
Harvest: May - July 2019
Variety: Arara
Elevation: 3,400ft

Origin: El Salvador

Farmer: Gilberto Baraona
Processing: Natural
Region: Usulutan
Farm/Washing Station: Los Pirineos
Variety: Bourbon
Elevation: 4,600 ft 

GUATEMALA
On the south-western side of Hoja Blanca, in the Cuilco department of Huehuetenango, lies finca Buena Esperanza. For more than forty years Doña Maria Castillo, a widow, has been farming coffee, every year hoping for a good harvest. The 'Good Hope' persists today in Maria's thirty year old son Noe, who farms these steep mountains with his brother Marvel. Noe's pride in the land he was given is evident, and he's eager to explain his process and techniques, which he learned from his 10 years working for Nicolas Castillo of Nueva Esperanza, a neighboring farm and Onyx partner.

Chalum and avocado trees protect the Bourbon and Caturra trees, and the family strives to use organic products for fertilization wherever possible. Having recovered greatly from the coffee rust of past seasons, Noe has invested in more effective pruning methods -- the production yield this season (2019) will be smaller, but he hopes to improve the health of the trees and increase yields in the future. Processing has improved greatly due to a brand new, much larger drying patio and new wet mill. Water is fed from pure ground springs, or nacimientos as opposed to the river, as lot and mill are high above the river.


BRAZIL

Sitio Engenho began with the hard work Vanderson Goulart Junho undertook to begin farming a modest plot of land in southern Minas Gerais. Vanderson worked tirelessly to cultivate coffee manually, as there was little technology available during the time he was establishing the farm. He raised his family through this hard work in coffee farming.

The spirit of both coffee farming and hard work is now being passed between generations from father to daughters; Vânia, Ana Lucia, and Vanilde follow the dreams of their father Vanderson, who encouraged his daughters to pursue a path of perseverance, virtue, and passion for what they do through his own lived example.

Sitio Engenho is located in the community of São Bernardo in the city of Natércia in the Mantiqueira de Minas coffee region of Sul de Minas. The farm is 122 hectares, 40 of which are planted with Arara, Red Catuai, and Catucai varieties of coffee.

This harvest, Ally sourced variety-separated lots from Sitio Engenho. The Arara variety is a natural cross between Obatã and Yellow Catuai discovered in 1988 in the Parana region of Brazil by an agronomist named Francisco Barbosa Lima. The trees are productive and resistant to both drought and leaf rust, making the variety attractive from an agronomic perspective as well as presenting tasty characteristics in the cup.

EL SALVADOR

Los Pirineos farm is located on a stand-alone, cone-shaped volcano and enjoys a microclimate that is not replicable anywhere in the world. The farm is named after mountain slopes that geographically resemble those of the Pyrenees Mountains in Europe. It has a unique position between the towns of Berlín and Santiago, and most of the farm is planted with Gilberto’s favorite variety: Pacamara. He is an expert in cultivating and propagating this variety and has the only WCR certified nursery to sell the seeds. The remaining majority of productive coffee plants are Bourbon and Pacas varieties, but that is poised to change in years to come.

Currently, a large part of the farm is being renovated and planted with exotic varieties such as Geisha, Java, Rume Sudan, SL28, and five different varieties brought from Ethiopia. These varieties are first tested in the coffee variety garden, which features some 80 different varieties. There are some very intriguing varieties that have never been released for cultivation by the breeders such as Polisperma, whose cherries have up to ten seeds. The farm is also home to two mutations that are Gilberto’s best guarded secrets: Marageisha and Yellow Pacamara. These new and exciting plants will be producing in the next two years.

It is not only the growing microclimate that is unique, the drying facility is also a work of art. The drying beds are positioned between two peaks, creating a wind tunnel through which a breeze continuously passes. The beds are exposed to sun for twelve hours a day yet do not burn due to the cold winds. These factors lend themselves to the production of Natural and Honey processed coffees with a prolonged controlled fermentation. Los Pirineos belongs to Gilberto Baraona, a coffee producer with many accolades including 15 El Salvador Cup of Excellence wins and recognition as the best coffee producer of El Salvador. Gilberto remains humble despite these awards and devotes his work to improving coffee on the farm.

REGION: USULUTAN
The Cordillera Tecapa Chinameca streches from West to East throughout the Usulután department on southern El Salvador’s Pacific side. This mountain range is largely made up of volcanoes and is characteristed by its stark contrast to the dry plains farther south. The peaks rise up to 1600 meters above sea level and provide ideal circumstances for both coffee growing and drying. Despite its elevation, there is minimal rainfall during the harvest period from December to April.

Coffee farming has a long-standing history in the region but has been plagued by political turmoil since the late 20th century. The region’s roughly 3000 growers and processers produce 12% of the total supply of Salvadoran coffee, mainly of the Bourbon, Pacas, Pacamara, Catisic, Cuscatleco, and Catuaí varieties. Although Usulutan is responsible for a relatively small portion of the national production, the mountains of Tecapa Chinameca are recognized for the quality coffee they produce due to their unique position near the ocean, excellent elevation, and volcanic soils rich with organic material and nutrients.