Copacabana

History

Martin Chirino lives with his family at his farm in Caranavi. The area is characterised by clay soil and a tropical climate at an altitude of 1580 metres, which makes it quite favourable for growing specialty coffees. Martin is very dedicated to his farm, waking up at 6:00 AM every morning to prepare breakfast for the pickers and work begins on the plantation at 7:00 AM. Often you can hear Martin singing while he picks the cherries. At the Chirino farm, only the mature fruits are hand-picked to ensure the best result on the cup. At noon, everybody meets back at the house to have an “Ajtapi”, meaning that every person brings some food and shares it with the group. After that much needed break, they continue to work until 4:00 PM when they weigh their bags. In the evening, Martin loads the coffee and travels to the wet mill, “Buena Vista”, which is about 50 km from his farm to deliver his fresh cherries.

Coffee Processing System

After picking the cherries from the coffee trees, they are spread out in thin layers to dry in the sun. The drying occurs on patios or raised beds which enable air to flow around the cherries, allowing more even drying. To avoid mould, fermentation or rotting, the cherries are turned regularly. Once the cherries are properly dry, the skin and dried fruit flesh are removed mechanically and the green coffee is stored and “rested” before it is exported. The procedure of selective harvest is very labour intensive and therefore the costs for this method are very high. Considering that selective harvest results in a significantly cleaner, more flavourful coffee, the intense labour of love is worth it.

Future

Martin has been in the coffee growing business for many years, but he is still eager to learn more about new methods to improve the quality of his crop.