The path to Nicaragua’s place at the table of Central American specialty coffee heavyweights has been a rocky one. Civil wars, political instability, and natural disasters have all played their role in hindering the development of coffee in Nicaragua. In recent years, the promotion of quality coffees and the development specialty coffee has allowed for growth in this area as well as encouraging rural development. 95% of the coffee in Nicaragua is grown under the shade of a biodiverse mix of trees, an integrated part of the country’s flora and fauna. Unlike other origins, coffee here is not dried on producers’ farms, but taken to drying stations; the mountains surrounding our two drying stations in Jinotega and Nueva Segovia is where the majority of the coffee we source comes from.

The professional work done at our drying stations, where coffee is slowly and evenly dried in raised beds under shade, has successfully addressed high water activity and humidity, two of the biggest quality issues that have affected Nicaraguan coffee. This progress, along with technical help that PECA offers, has helped farmers achieve better prices. Nicaraguan farmers’ ambition, dedication, and passion have helped them to move forward and produce fantastic coffees that possess a shelf life difficult to imagine ten years ago.