All who wander are not lost. Such was the case back in 2007, when an endless exploration of Costa Rica put me in Santa Maria de Dota, one of the little valley towns in the area of Los Santos (The Saints) which is better known as the Tarrazú Coffee Region. It may be only 40 miles southeast of San Jose, but it is a world away. Nestled in the foothills of the Talamanca mountain range, its mile-high elevation is ideal not only for daily life, but also for growing coffee. Its perfect climate, rich volcanic soil, and nearly continuous cloud cover make this area world-renowned as one of the premier coffee-producing regions on the planet.
In pursuit of nothing more than another day in paradise, I met with a local tour guide at the city square early one morning to set out on a short hike to view a waterfall. I had no way of knowing my life would be forever changed that day. After the four-mile-pothole-filled drive up the hill from the town, we parked, disembarked, and set out for the local attraction: Cascada Vino Tinto - a beautiful series of waterfalls falling over 200 feet. It was from the top of the last of the five waterfalls that I looked 500 meters across the lush green valley and saw a little silver roof gleaming in the early morning sun. My immediate comment to Rafa, then my guide, and now my lifelong friend, was “that house has a great view of the waterfalls”. “That is not a house”, he responded, “it is a little shed that houses the collectivos (coffee collectors) when they are picking that coffee farm. And, by the way, the farm is for sale.” We decided to hike out to the farm, not knowing that the real adventure had just begun. Not only did the farm have a beautiful view of Cascada Vino Tinto, but a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean as well! I was hooked. I bought the farm immediately, knowing absolutely nothing about coffee.
After buying the farm I developed a passion I could never have anticipated, sparked by the knowledge that - purely by luck - I had purchased one of the best coffee-producing farms in the area. I went from merely having a local farmer pick my beans and take them to the local coop to be mixed in with about ten million other beans, to partnering with one of the best farmers in the area, to where we are today - now having taken over the operation of the farm with the help of a very good man on the ground who oversees the day-to-day operation of the farm. I have simply immersed myself in the coffee business and now make frequent trips to Costa Rica as we continuously upgrade every aspect of our farm. We have improved every part of our production and most recently built our own micro-mill so that the beans are now processed right on site (be sure to visit our farm update page to see what is new).
Unlike other coffee companies, we do not merely buy many different kinds of coffee beans from all over the world, then roast and sell them - we offer only our own. We use a red honey process in which the beans are peeled but not washed, using very little water and producing virtually no waste or runoff. We believe this is the best process for our select arabica beans. They are then table dried naturally in the remnants of the mucilage (the pulp that lies between the peel and the bean) before being shipped to our sunny little town in Florida for roasting.
This is as much the pursuit of a passion as it is a business venture for us. Our only desire is to sustainably grow, meticulously roast, and offer a very small amount of what we believe to be one of the finest arabica, single-source, specialty hard bean coffees you can find. We are dedicated to our commitment to improving our farm and our product, while respecting the land that bears the fruit of our labor and the lives of those who work so hard to help us succeed in that pursuit.
In pursuit of nothing more than another day in paradise, I met with a local tour guide at the city square early one morning to set out on a short hike to view a waterfall. I had no way of knowing my life would be forever changed that day. After the four-mile-pothole-filled drive up the hill from the town, we parked, disembarked, and set out for the local attraction: Cascada Vino Tinto - a beautiful series of waterfalls falling over 200 feet. It was from the top of the last of the five waterfalls that I looked 500 meters across the lush green valley and saw a little silver roof gleaming in the early morning sun. My immediate comment to Rafa, then my guide, and now my lifelong friend, was “that house has a great view of the waterfalls”. “That is not a house”, he responded, “it is a little shed that houses the collectivos (coffee collectors) when they are picking that coffee farm. And, by the way, the farm is for sale.” We decided to hike out to the farm, not knowing that the real adventure had just begun. Not only did the farm have a beautiful view of Cascada Vino Tinto, but a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean as well! I was hooked. I bought the farm immediately, knowing absolutely nothing about coffee.
After buying the farm I developed a passion I could never have anticipated, sparked by the knowledge that - purely by luck - I had purchased one of the best coffee-producing farms in the area. I went from merely having a local farmer pick my beans and take them to the local coop to be mixed in with about ten million other beans, to partnering with one of the best farmers in the area, to where we are today - now having taken over the operation of the farm with the help of a very good man on the ground who oversees the day-to-day operation of the farm. I have simply immersed myself in the coffee business and now make frequent trips to Costa Rica as we continuously upgrade every aspect of our farm. We have improved every part of our production and most recently built our own micro-mill so that the beans are now processed right on site (be sure to visit our farm update page to see what is new).
Unlike other coffee companies, we do not merely buy many different kinds of coffee beans from all over the world, then roast and sell them - we offer only our own. We use a red honey process in which the beans are peeled but not washed, using very little water and producing virtually no waste or runoff. We believe this is the best process for our select arabica beans. They are then table dried naturally in the remnants of the mucilage (the pulp that lies between the peel and the bean) before being shipped to our sunny little town in Florida for roasting.
This is as much the pursuit of a passion as it is a business venture for us. Our only desire is to sustainably grow, meticulously roast, and offer a very small amount of what we believe to be one of the finest arabica, single-source, specialty hard bean coffees you can find. We are dedicated to our commitment to improving our farm and our product, while respecting the land that bears the fruit of our labor and the lives of those who work so hard to help us succeed in that pursuit.
Kent Runnells
CFO (Coffee Farm Owner) & Roaster
CFO (Coffee Farm Owner) & Roaster