Early Bird / Costa Rica

Varietal: Caturra, Catuai

Process: Washed

Farm: Cooperativa de Caficultores de Tarrazú RL

Producer: Coopetarrazu

Geography: San Marcos de Tarrazu, San Jose, Costa Rica (1300-1600 masl)

• In Tarrazú, coffee moves with the precision of a well-tuned clock, and Cooperativa de Caficultores de Tarrazú (Coopetarrazu) is the engine behind it. With more than 4,650 members across the canton, the cooperative is built to receive cherries from thousands of small farms and transform them into La Pastora—a consistently balanced regional lot that has become a signature of the region.
  
• Each afternoon, trucks of every size arrive loaded with freshly picked cherries. The workflow is seamless: cherries are weighed, floaters removed, depulped, and put through a demucilager that strips the mucilage using a fully recycled water system. Washed parchment is then carried by elevated conveyor into air dryers before passing through a series of mechanical dryers that gently bring the coffee to ideal moisture. Within just over 72 hours, the coffee is fully processed, then rested in silos for at least a month before dry milling—another highly calibrated step involving machines that dehull and sort by weight and colour.
  
• Beyond processing, Coopetarrazu supports its community through a broad model of economic and social services. Members benefit from low-interest loans, healthcare, and a cooperative-run agricultural supply store and grocery—an integrated system that strengthens both farming and daily life across Tarrazú.