Description
Costa Rica Brumas del Zurquí Micromill
Region Central Valley
Country Costa Rica
Process Natural
Variety SL-28 (Kenya Varietal)
Elevation 1400-1800 MASL
Farmer : Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez
Harvest December–April
the Cup:
good body notes of mellow dried apricot, caramel, and jammy grape flavours with sugary sweetness
and mild juicy acidity
Farm: Brumas del Zurquí Micromill
Beneficio Brumas del Zurquí is a micromill in Costa Rica’s Central Valley, in the sub-region of Heredia, where neighboring farms deliver their coffee cherries for processing. The mill works with several varieties, including Villa Sarchi, SL-28, Bourbon, Gesha, Typica, Caturra, and Orange Bourbon. It is managed by Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez and his family, fourth-generation coffee producers who began modernizing their processing methods and expanding their infrastructure around 2003–2004. They have also established a cupping lab and roastery to monitor and elevate quality.
In recent years, Beneficio Brumas del Zurquí has faced labor shortages caused by the pandemic and by workers leaving the country for other opportunities. Despite these challenges, Juan is deeply proud of his work and of having built a family business that creates jobs and brings positive social and economic benefits to his community through coffee. He encourages the roasters who buy his coffee to roast with intention and to start each day feeling motivated, joyful, and inspired to live fully and seek new experiences.
He hopes that the values and love of coffee he cultivates on the farm will be carried
all the way through the pipeline from seed to cup. “I hope to God that I will die a
farmer and I hope my son does too” – Juan Ramon Alvarado Rodriguez
