Seven or eight years ago, Roger Ureña took a risk: He wanted to get into coffee farming, but he didn't have any land. At the time, no one wanted to buy land at such high altitudes; they didn't think coffee would grow there. Don Roger was able to buy a decent amount of land at a relatively cheap price, starting at 1900 meters all the way up to 2150 meters, some of the highest-altitude farms we've seen in Costa Rica. (Of course, now land at those elevations is very expensive, as the height is fantastic for coffee quality!)
Several different varieties are grown on Don Roger's farms, including SL-28, Geisha, Caturra, Catuai, and Pacamara. His wet mill is centrally located among the farms, and he depulps, processes, and dries the coffees on his land, and stores it in his own warehouse before shipping. None of his coffees are fermented; he uses a demucilaging machine to remove the mucilage, which eliminates the need for water at the mill. The drying time starts with a 2–3 day "pre-dry" on patios under full sun, and then it is moved to a greenhouse for a slow dry over 15–18 days.
For more information about coffee production in Costa Rica, visit our Costa Rica Origin Page.
