About the Producer
Coopetarrazú R.L. was founded on October 13th of 1960 with 228 associates in San Marcos of Tarrazú. The cooperative was born due to the need for better conditions for small producers, since they had a subsistence economy and did not have a voice or vote in the administration and commercialization of coffee. The cooperative always ensures the creation of services that help the well-being and development of its associates, their families and communities.
Furthermore, Coopetarrazú R.L. is compromised with being environmentally friendly. They developed a liquid and solid waste treatment for the residues of the coffee. The cooperative is always looking for better manufacturing practices in the milling process to lower the environmental impact. Coffee harvest takes place during the months of December to March.
About the region
A year in Tarrazú is split into two well-defined seasons: rainy and dry. The rainy season lasts for seven months (May to November), during which time coffee plants are growing; the dry season is from December to April. Harvest time is a five-month period from November to March that coincides nicely with dry season. This well-defined climate pattern is ideal for growing coffee and results in high-quality coffee cherries that are uniform in ripeness.
Tarrazú presents an ideal location for growing Arabica coffee beans. The region is known for producing coffees that have distinctly acidic qualities, mainly due to the sedimentary soil composition that characterize the land. Spanning altitudes from 1,200 to 1,900 meters, the majority of plantations are shaded with a mix of foreign and native trees.
About the beans
The primary types of beans grown in the region are Caturra and Catuai. Caturra is a mutation of the Bourbon variety of arabica coffee. It matures more quickly than most coffee plants and is disease resistant. Catuai is a highly productive breed of Caturra and Mundo Nova. It is a robust plant that can withstand heavy wind and rains. Both varieties are rich in flavour and produce some of the highest-quality coffee beans.
In Costa Rica, the grade of coffee is determined by the hardness of the bean, a factor which is dictated by the altitude at which the beans are grown. The highest-grade coffee is labeled Strictly Hard Bean or SHB and is reserved for coffee grown above 3,900 feet (approx. 1,200 meters). It is estimated that nearly 95% of beans grown in the Tarrazú region fall under the SHB category.
