The Green Bean Elan Organic Coffees Newsletter

Micro-Milling: Setting the Bar for the Specialty Coffee Arena

Costa Rican producers opened their homes and micro mills to Elan. We were welcomed into the homes of coffee producers and exporters to share meals and tour the micro-mills that are dominating the industry in Costa Rica. Micro-Milling is very similar to the growth and popularity of
micro-brewing. Micro-Millers in Costa Rica have made huge commitments in milling their own coffees, while also adding more meaning to the term specialty. These boutique production practices include dedication to

family cultivation traditions and upholding the family's mission to produce high quality coffee with environmentally friendly practices from tree, to mill, to export. For example a micro-mill on the trip revealed upon ownership of their own mill, they have had the opportunity to implement a water conservation plan in the de-pulping process, using only water for transport of the cherries.

Everyone on the trip had the chance to experience Costa Rica like a local. Part of the adventure included trucking up a mountain for hours in the dark to spend the night in members of the WCACR's homes. It was an amazing opportunity to sleep, eat and breathe coffee production. Coffees from the region visited that day were cupped every afternoon with the producers. After the cuppings discussions took place on cup quality, giving the buyers and consumers a chance to ask firsthand questions about production vs. final product. Elan will be importing the highest quality, socially responsible Costa Rican coffees in the next year. Please contact Elan for availability and pricing

The trip ended with a visit to Volcan Arenal, where everyone learned and experienced the Costa Rican term "Pura Vida."