Los Encinos

Stephanny Fernández Elizondo

Café Ceres micromill was established in 2019 by Stephanny Fernandez Elizondo and her mother, Alexandra, in Santa Maria de Dota in San José province. The pair have worked together over the years to prepare for this endeavor, aiming to achieve healthy and constant growth and to improve their quality each day. The facility is outfitted with a pulper, greenhouse drying spaces with raised beds, a waste treatment area, and a warehouse for coffee storage.

Along with quality, Stephanny and her mother’s work prioritizes sustainability in everything they do, and the micromill is currently working toward earning Bandera Azul ecological certification. Within the farm, they also regularly carry out training and courses through the Ministry for Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) and the National Coffee Institute (ICAFE) in order to learn about environmental issues and how to best take care of their crops.

Tarrazú, Costa Rica

Tarrazú is a canton located in the province of San José, in Costa Rica’s Central Valley. It forms part of the renowned Zona de Los Santos, along with the neighboring cantons of Dota and León Cortés. Nestled in the high mountains south of the capital city, Tarrazú is one of the most densely planted high-altitude coffee regions in Central America, with many farms located at or above 2,000 meters above sea level.

The region’s volcanic soils and steep, rolling hillsides are ideal for agriculture. Many smallholder farmers grow coffee alongside bananas, avocados, and citrus—often on land passed down through generations. A strong sense of family and community defines life in Tarrazú, where producers care deeply for their land, preserve native forests, incorporate shade trees, and protect the natural springs that flow from the mountains.

Honey

This lot of Catuai coffee underwent Red Honey processing at Cafe Ceres micromill. After harvest, coffee cherries were sorted via floatation to remove any underripe or overripe fruit. The cherries were placed into plastic bags and fermented for 72 hours prior to being pulped. The pulped coffee was then fermented in plastic bags for another 48 hours before being dried. The fermented coffee was dried on raised beds for 14 days while being moved every two hours to ensure uniform drying.

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