Alberto Flores Ruiz

Alberto Flores, a seasoned coffee producer with over 40 years of coffee experience, ventured into the specialty coffee market in 2020 by joining Caravela’s supply chain. His farm is located in the municipality of Santa Cruz Ozolotepec in Oaxaca. It is named La Cruz de Espina, inspired by the thorny trees and cross that once characterized the site.

Coffee is Alberto’s family’s primary source of income, and he is grateful for the knowledge he has gained over the years with the support of the Caravela’s Grower’s Education Program (PECA in Spanish) to improve his coffee processing methods. Together with his wife, Minerva Santiago Jarquin, they hire locals during the primary harvest season to complete all farm activities. Alberto’s farm is uniquely located due to its elevation and microclimate, which protects it from coffee berry disease and leaf rust.

Alberto relies on selective harvesting to produce exceptional coffees, picking only the ripest cherries. The coffee cherries undergo fermentation for 24 to 30 hours, followed by drying on cement patios for more than five days. The farm grows the Typica variety, known for its delicate, floral profile, which occupies 95% of the cultivated area. In addition, Alberto dedicates 5% of the planted area to the very productive variety Marsellesa, which is well-adapted to the farm’s environment.