Producer
Until 2019, Demetrio was growing root vegetables, corn, beans, and avocado on his farm at 2,100 meters above sea level. The cold, windy climate had always made coffee cultivation impossible - until climate change altered everything. Recognizing the new potential for specialty coffee at this altitude, he planted Gesha, Pink Bourbon, and Aruzo on his 4-hectare plot.

While the plants matured, he worked as an administrator on another farm. In 2022, Demetrio returned to his land to harvest and process his first coffee crops, which immediately stood out for their exceptional quality.

Variety
Gesha is one of the world’s most highly sought after coffee variety. It originated in the Gori Gesha forest of Ethiopia and was picked from there in the 1930s and sent to the Lyamungu Coffee Research Center in Tanzania. After years of trials, it was sent to Costa Rica’s CATIE research center in 1953 in an attempt to help with coffee disease resistance in the region. Part of this research was planting the variety in a few farms across Costa Rica and Panama.

Due to its fragile, tall branches and lower yields, the coffee was initially overlooked and blended with other varieties. It took decades for the coffee to be rediscovered at higher altitude farms in Panama by tasting the tropical flavors found in the coffee cherries alone.

All Gesha varieties aren’t the same. Those that were grown and adapted to lower altitudes developed bronze tips which is an indication of a lower quality version of the variety. Demetrio’s Gesha seeds came from the Panamanian higher altitudes where the coffee leaf tips are still bright green. The quality difference between the different versions of the variety is unmistakable.

Process
Cherries are carefully picked every 3-4 weeks since flowering is constant. Post-harvest the cherries rest in bags for 24 hours prior to depulping. The seeds with mucilage are then floated and fermented in a closed tank for 40 hours. Fermentation is then stopped by fully washing the seeds. They are then dried on raised beds under shade for about 15 days.

Additional Farm Info
Demetrio’s farm practices polyculture, intercropping coffee with root vegetables, maize, avocados, beans, tree tomatoes, and plantains. This permaculture approach not only enhances the topsoil but also enriches the deeper soil with a variety of nutrients, minerals, and microorganisms. The farm’s high altitude and crop diversity naturally reduces pests. Additionally, polyculture provides the family with a diverse source of food and income.