About This Coffee
The Cerna family owns and operates 9 farms in Matagalpa and Jinotega. They are dedicated to cultivating coffee in a sustainable, ethical way. Their social programs are supported by premiums from their certified coffees. They have helped over 300 families access clean water in their homes and supported over 900 children attending school. Their computer school makes it simple for employees and other community members to advance their skills and connect to the wealth of information online.
Cultivation
Cerna family farms are incredibly biodiverse. Coffee trees are shaded by native trees, which also provide a habitat for animals. Shade trees also keep the environment cooler, promoting slow, dense cherry growth.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked. After harvest, cherry is flaoted to remove any underripes or lights that may have been accidentally picked and conduct a visual inspection to remove any cherry that has insect damage or other visible defects. Cherry is then pulped and fermented.
After fermentation, wet parchment is inspected a second time for any visual defects. As they inspect it, the wet parchment begins the first stages of drying. Wet parchment is laid to sundry and is rake frequently to ensure even drying.
Rainforest Alliance
RFA stands for Rainforest Alliance, a certification system that emphasizes climate-smart agriculture. RFA farms have at least 40% of land covered by canopy, significant species diversity (at least 12 native tree species per hectare, on average) and a system of natural vegetation buffers between agricultural land and bodies of water. The farms also use organic fertilizers.
SHG
Strictly High Grown (SHG) specifies the altitude at which the coffee was grown. A coffee must be grown at 1,200 meters above sea level or higher to be considered SHG. The higher altitude and lower temperatures mean that the coffee fruit matures more slowly, creating a denser bean.
Coffee in Nicaragua
Nicaragua may not be the most famous producer of Central American coffee, but it has great potential. The country is known as the land of ‘los lagos y los volcanes’ (lakes and volcanos) and has many coffee growing ‘pockets’ that few have heard of or experienced. Many producers in the country are experimenting with new varieties and processing methods, making it a specialty origin to watch.
Many coffee producers in Nicaragua today are buoyed by cooperatives that provide a wide array of services, supports and opportunity. As seen in the win of the ‘El Acuerdo de las Tunas’, where 3,000 landless workers won land rights, collective action by farmers can be far more effective at enacting widespread change than the advocacy of individual farmers.
Cooperatives and farmer associations in Nicaragua encompass a large percentage of the country’s coffee producers, and they are taking their destiny in their own hands. By putting great emphasis on quality and by aiming for the international specialty coffee industry, cooperatives and farmers associations are helping their members gain influence and import that will, hopefully, garner enough profit to enable farmers to continue to improve and invest in their farms and their families.
Large and medium-sized (10+ hectare) farms also hold a significant place in Nicaragua’s coffee landscape, as well. Many of these farms have also prioritized social and environmental issues and are working on quality improvements at both cultivation and post-harvest levels.
Farmers, for the most part, will process coffee on their own farms, and the majority of the time coffee is dried on large drying patios under sun.