There is nowhere like Costa Rica when it comes to coffee processing and micro-mill innovations. Just ask Danilo Salazar who has dedicated the better half of 50 years perfecting various processing techniques at his 30-acre farm in the West Valley region of Naranjo within the province of Alajuela. Much of the recent innovation in processing has been fueled by Danilo’s son, Pablo Andrés. The pair works together using their own micro-mill where cherry selection and drying are meticulously executed. This natural processed coffee is an example of precisely executed methods of drying coffee inside the cherry, which eliminates the need to wash the coffee and greatly reduces the environmental impact, while at the same time, producing an expressive cup profile.

Aurelio Villatoro is the son of Eleodoro Villatoro who founded the renowned Finca La Esperanza in the late 1950s in the highlands of Hoja Blanca, Huehuetenango. In 1986, Aurelio started his own farm called Villaure next to his dad's one. He then passed on his passion to the new generation and nowadays his son Jenner handles much of the day to day farm management. Rodin, his younger son, manages alternative processing and special lots. Their cousin Denis also runs the QC lab located in the city of Huehuetenango. All this work has culminated in coffees of incredible clarity and structure, and awards in the past 3 Cup of Excellence auctions. From the year 2002 to date, the family has received numerous awards nationally and internationally.

This coffee hails from small holder farms in the West Arsi region of Ethiopia. Faysel Abdosh has been a co-owner of this washing station since 2012. His dedication to the farming community in terms of training individual farmers and paying higher premiums has noticeably improved the quality of coffees produced in this area. West Arsi, which was previously part of the Guji zone, has now been recognized as its own zone since the 2019 harvest.