MEET OUR GROWERS.
DIEGO ROBELA
We selected Aquiares estate in Turrialba, Costa Rica, for the taste of their delicious coffee, their dedication to the Rainforest Alliance and their community spirit. We visited this beautiful estate in 2016.
Diego Robela manages the estate where pickers own their own houses and a creche, church and shop have been provided. The coffee from this beautiful farm is the main ingredient in our Pura Vida blend.
They have a fascinating varietal garden and a keen interest in experimentation.
PRABHAKAR BASKAR
Prabhakar Baskar and his son Rohan own Pampadampera estate in Kerala, India. We fell in love with this beautiful estate covered in mature trees providing shade for the coffee and natural habitats for bees and birds when we visited in 2017.
The estate surpasses the Rainforest Alliance criteria by having more trees than required. Particular attention was given by Prabhakar and his team this year to improving quality and yield by way of new organic fertilisers, additional plant husbandry and taller plant height.
JOHN KIMONDO
John has been living on the Thiriku estate, Nyeri for 20 years in the foothills of Mount Kenya.
The bright sweetness of this coffee really stood out from other estates we visited.
The rapid expansion of Nairobi had made it difficult to get pickers and farm workers resulting in much higher wages being paid.
We found their dedication to quality and interest in new cross breeds fascinating.
JOSE ABICA
Jose Abica is one of the farmers at Sara Ate cooperative. We visited here in 2019. Members of Sara Ate cooperative come from villages near Takengon, a well-known coffee town in the province of Aceh located at the northern end of Sumatra. The cooperative currently has approximately around 400 small coffee producing members. The coffee is all shade grown below the canopies of trees and is organic as only chicken manure is used with no pesticides or fertilizers. We purchased 10 diesel pulping stations for the farmers in 2020 which has reduced walk time from the plantations.
JUAN VARGAS
Juan Vargos works at Fazenda Klem and keeps in regular contact with us. The coffee at Fazenda Klem is 100% certified organic and meets social, economic and environmental quality standards at international level. Each year they try to improve, as their mission is: “Producing Coffee of Excellence” In addition, they have an excellent combination of polyculture between coffee, avocado and banana that make their crops a natural forest where an entire ecosystem coexists. The coffee crop usually begins in June because their crops are in a high mountain region which allows the coffee to mature slowly concentrating more sugars and an infinite sensation of unique flavours.
