Cerro Buena Vista, Costa Rica

In 2017, Ritual visited farmers we work with deep in the Río General river valley. While here, we were introduced to the Torres Valverde family, who had their own working family farm and micromill just outside of town. It is situated on the slopes of Cerro Buena Vista, a foothill of Cerro Chirripó, Costa Rica’s tallest mountain. At the time, they were a brand new micromill just starting production; while showing much promise, there was still a lot of work to be done. When returning in 2018, we were amazed at the progress that Carlos Luis and his wife Lica accomplished. Furthermore, the Torres family have gone above and beyond, earning 2 stars in the coveted Ecological Blue Flag Program, which rewards accomplishments in conservation, with an emphasis on the protection of natural resources, combating climate change, and the improvement of public health of the inhabitants of Costa Rica. In a country where 25% of the land is in protected national parks, this is an especially significant accomplishment- as is the quality of the coffee!