We are moving warehouses to Vollers in Hamburg and clearing all coffees from our Antwerp warehouse. That means we have some exceptional coffees at clearance prices, like these coffees from Costa Rica.
Don Oscar
The name Don Oscar refers to the micromill owned and managed by brothers Alejandro and Horacio Solis Blanco. They named the mill after their late father who passed away recently from pancreatic cancer. Alejandro and Horacio are fourth generation coffee farmers, and they inherited Don Oscar’s love for coffee farming. They revel in both the physical work of tending coffee plants and being a part of the production cycle of coffee, from seed to parchment.
The Solis Blanco family are a part of Costa Rica’s “micromill revolution.”In many coffee producing countries, “coffee producer” refers only to the person in charge of cultivating and picking coffee. In Costa Rica, however, smallholder farmers are also in charge of processing coffees collected from many small farms. As with any other production chain, those who control the means of production are the most empowered. Costa Rican coffee producers are therefore amongst the most empowered in the world.
The Solis Blanco brothers offer a smooth coffee with notes of dried fruit, hazelnut and milk chocolate.
Don Oscar, West Valley, Costa Rica
Variety: Catuai
Process: White Honey
Score: 86
Normal Price: $11,73/kg
Now: $11,23/kg or $10,73/kg for a full pallet.
Helsar de Zarcero
Helsar de Zarcero is a mill that was established in 2004 by Ricardo Perez and a partner, during the nascent stages of Costa Rica’s “micromill revolution.”
The operation has grown considerably in the last fourteen years. It started with just a depulper and some raised beds, and today Helsar de Zarcero serves a few dozen farms, including a few of the Perez family’s own. In Helsar’s first year of production they yielded 250 bags. In 2016, the micromill produced 5000 bags, 15% of which was organic certified.
The family advocates for environmentally sustainable practices and in addition to their organic certified coffees, they aim to become Costa Rica’s first carbon neutral micromill. They use both collected rain water and fresh water to process cherries in the eco-pulpers. Each year they plant around 700 trees to offset the carbon their equipment produces, and they set up a fully organic certified cascara production.
Ricardo & Isabel are third generation coffee farmers and it appears this tradition will continue as their daughter Lucía takes on more responsibility at Helsar.
The pioneering Perez family produce a coffee with notes of macadamia, apricot, tea with a grape finish.
Helsar de Zarcero, West Valley, Costa Rica
Variety: Caturra
Process: White Honey
Score: 85
Normal Price: $13,05/kg
Now: $12,55/kg or $12,05/kg for a full pallet.
Contact Nico for samples, and download the full Antwerp Clearance Sale price list here.