Costa Rica Sumava Lactico Natural

Farmlevel Story

Francisco Mena is a long-time farmlevel partner and grower of exceptionally high quality Costa Rican coffees. Mena grows numerous varieties on his farm Sumava de Lourdes, including Caturra, SL-28, Gesha, and this Villa Sarchi. Villa Sarchi, in particular, with its short stature, is well adapted to resist winds and high elevation microclimates of the Lourdes de Naranjo micro-region to yield dense, uniform seeds. With this excellent raw material, Mena is able to create coffees that harmonize classical and experimental processing and fermentation.  

A huge part of his experimentation is performed with his proprietary version of “lactic” processing, which intensifies complex fruit flavors. Following harvest, whole coffee cherries are bagged and placed into sealed tanks. The controlled environment allows native microbes to transform abundant cherry sugars into compounds responsible for complex and exciting flavors. Afterwards, cherries are de-pulped, washed, and laid to dry on raised beds. Each step requires precise time and care, which Mena’s team executes masterfully.  

Mena’s commitment to quality extends past his farm to his exporting company, Exclusive coffees. His well-trained lab team meticulously ensures that all lots are sent out according to their stringent quality standards.  It is this ethos of passion and integrity that has led us to purchase from Exclusive Coffees year-over-year. We hope you will savor this coffee as much as we do!