It's All About the Shade…

You'll notice another similarity among the coffees at our estates worldwide - all our coffees are shade grown. Using natural shade has several advantages. For one, it protects the coffee cherries from exposure to direct sunlight which could damage them. Filtering out the sunlight lets the cherries thrive, allowing just enough nourishment from the sun to reach them.

In Costa Rica, farmers use Poro trees to shade their crop. Poros make the perfect shade because the roots of the trees expel nitrogen directly into the soil, further nourishing the coffee. The Poros also grow out quickly upon pruning, perfectly at pace with the rhythms of Costa Rica's rainy and dry seasons.

Photos by: CHRISTIAN DEL ROSARIO