From source to sip
The story behind your next cup.
High in the Talamanca mountains south of San Jose, the town of San Marcos de Tarrazu sits among some of the steepest, most celebrated coffee land in Central America. This lot comes from the La Pastora district, a name that has come to define what makes Tarrazu famous.
Coopetarrazu was founded in 1960 by 228 small coffee producers in San Marcos de Tarrazu. At the time, large estates dominated the region and overshadowed smallholders, who struggled for fair prices and a real voice in the trade. Decades of patient organizing changed that. The cooperative now supports roughly 5,000 members with technical assistance, low-cost loans, and affordable fertilizer, and it employs thousands across the surrounding communities.
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The Coffee Story
The SourceA Cooperative Built by Small Farmers
Coopetarrazu was founded in 1960 by 228 small coffee producers in San Marcos de Tarrazu. At the time, large estates dominated the region and overshadowed smallholders, who struggled for fair prices and a real voice in the trade. Decades of patient organizing changed that. The cooperative now supports roughly 5,000 members with technical assistance, low-cost loans, and affordable fertilizer, and it employs thousands across the surrounding communities.
Today Coopetarrazu manages the full chain from cherry to export, which keeps quality remarkably consistent year over year. The farms climb steep, volcanic slopes where cool air and high elevation slow the cherries as they ripen. That slow maturation concentrates sugars and builds the dense, hard beans that earn Costa Rica's top SHB grade, Strictly Hard Bean.
The CraftWashed for Clarity, Roasted for Balance
The cherries are fully washed, the classic Tarrazu approach. After picking, the fruit is depulped, fermented to lift the sticky mucilage from the seed, then rinsed clean and dried with care. This washed process strips away fruit interference and leaves the bean's own structure on display, the bright citrus, the clean finish, the polished sweetness that Tarrazu is known for.
We roast this coffee to City+, a medium level that respects what the origin already does well. Pushed any darker and the lively acidity would flatten. Held here, the roast draws out Tarrazu's above-average body and natural sweetness while keeping its signature brightness intact and in balance.
The CupBright Citrus, Steady Sweetness
The cup opens with a clear note of orange and a crisp, juicy acidity that snaps the whole profile awake. Underneath sits a smooth seam of milk chocolate, rounded by brown sugar sweetness as the coffee cools. It is balanced and easygoing, the kind of dependable, well-built cup that has made Tarrazu a benchmark for Costa Rican coffee.
