Legacy Series - Nicaragua, Finca Buenos Aires
ORIGINALLY RELEASED
September 2023
HIGHLIGHTS
Legacy Series: Spotlights family-owned farms
Origin: Nicaragua - Dipilto, Nueva Segovia
Farm: Finca Buenos Aires, operated by the Valladarez family
From: Coffee Shrub’s “Farm Gate” Program
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
BIG cocoa and BIG body — these beans showcase just how delicious Nicaraguan coffee can be when produced with quality in mind. I’m roasting these beans medium-dark for an easy-drinking coffee with bittersweet chocolate and dark caramel flavors. Works great for all brewing methods!
ORIGIN STORY
Our LEGACY SERIES highlights coffees produced in family-owned farms. This one’s from Finca Buenos Aires in the Jinotega region of Nicaragua, and it’s the second coffee I’m roasting this year from the Valladarez family; the first lot was from a smaller nearby farm, Finca El Lino.
Today, father-son duo Luis Emilio Valladarez and Olman lead the operation. Luis Emilio’s coffee journey started with a small lot he inherited from his grandmother in 1957. At the time, local access to/from town was incredibly difficult; all goods had to be transported by horseback. Fast forward to today + include a lot of hard work and business-savvy, and that single farm has grown into a ten-farm operation.
Buenos Aires is one of the Valladarez family’s largest farms and it’s also where the mill for the entire coffee operation is located. The name Buenos Aires pays homage to Luis Emilio’s first coffee farm near the border with Honduras. Over the last 60 years, the family’s dedication to producing high quality specialty coffee has earned them global recognition and several “Cup of Excellence” placings. I was so happy about how the lot from Finca El Lino roasted that I had to scoop up some of these beans from Buenos Aires, too!
Just like the lot from Finca El Lino, this coffee is part of Coffee Shrub’s direct trade buying program called “Farm Gate.” Through this program, Coffee Shrub is committed to paying coffee producers premium prices for quality coffee. Programs like Farm Gate ensure farmers have enough margin to actually reinvest their earnings and improve their quality over time. At a minimum, Farm Gate guarantees prices that are 50% over Fair Trade (FT) pricing, but oftentimes, the prices are 100%+ more that FT minimums.
This is a coffee that recognizes and celebrates when great people are responsible for great coffee. I hope you enjoy it!
MORE ABOUT THE LEGACY SERIES
Our Legacy Series shines a light on coffee from family-owned farms. Beans featured in this series come from family farms that have been passed down for generations, and others that may just be getting started. With each roast, we feature one farm/one family at a time, giving each the spotlight they deserve. Growing coffee takes tremendous skill, physical strength, mental fortitude, and just the right amount of luck. Layer on top of that: high production costs and volatile market prices, thin (or negative) margins in a global supply chain that has traditionally never prioritized its growers, and the pressure of providing for your family. The Legacy Series is about passion, hard work, resilience, and grit. True legacies aren’t born, they’re cultivated.
