El Pilon Micromill is owned and operated by Edgar Ureña, one of a family of coffee-producing brothers along with César "Don Pepe" Ureña and Martin Ureña. Don Edgar produces only natural coffee, using an ingenious, simple mill, consisting of only two tanks: Trucks pull up to the tanks and deposit the fresh-picked ripe cherry, and any impure coffee or floaters are removed. After sorting, the coffee goes into a secondary tank for secondary analysis. Then the coffee is moved to the raised drying beds.
The Ureñas have been producing coffee all their lives, but decided to transition to fully natural processing about 5 years ago because they liked the flavor and the profile, and they are exceptional at what they do—which translates to higher-quality coffee that commands higher prices for Don Edgar and his family.
Don Edgar is very detail-oriented, and insists on passing through the beds every two hours to remove any damaged or imperfect cherry, and to make sure that the coffee is drying evenly.
For more information about Costa Rican coffees, please visit our Costa Rica Origin Page.
