In 2014, Senel Campos and his family decided to try something different. After consistently receiving low prices when selling their cherries to cooperatives and multinational mills, the family was motivated to try their hand at producing specialty coffee on their own. Senel was able to produce 2 bags of coffee by picking only the ripest cherries, and the experiment was a success. The coffee scored above 86 points, proving to Senel and his family that they could indeed create specialty-grade coffee on their own and providing the opportunity to receive higher prices for their product.

Situated at the foot of Costa Rica’s highest peak, Cerro Chirripo, in the Pérez Zeledón region of Costa Rica’s San José province, Monos de Piedra is a specific section within the family’s ‘La Tobaba’ coffee farm. After years of conducting detailed soil and leaf analysis, Senel and his son Allan found that this part of the farm possessed all the necessary nutrients to produce the highest quality coffee. The family also attributes the farm’s success to the guava and banana trees growing throughout the farm, which provide shade, prevent unwanted weeds, and contribute to the sustainability and biodiversification of the land.

When the cherries from the Monos de Piedra lot arrive to the wet mill, they are first put through a simple floating system to remove any imperfections from harvesting and left in bags overnight. The next morning the cherries are measured to ensure that they have enough sugars for fermentation and placed in anaerobic tanks for 160 hours. The coffee is then placed on raised beds to dry in the warm Costa Rican sun, spread out in a medium-thin layer and turned every 3 hours to ensure consistent drying. Senel and Allan like to allow the dried coffee cherries to rest in plastic bags in their storage space for at least 2 months before preparing it for export, allowing the coffee beans to continue absorbing flavors from the fruit husk and keeps the beans fresh until it is time to mill, package, and export the coffee.

This is a special coffee, and we’re very excited to be able to share it with you. Members of our team have a personal connection to this region of Costa Rica, and the flavors this coffee brings to the cup are absolutely delicious. Guava and grape come through on the front end, and the higher acidity leaves the pallet with delightful notes of sour candy. We only have one bag of this coffee, so get some while you can!