Finca Caballero

Javier Caballero is a 62-year-old coffee producer in the Alto Jaramillo area of Boquete. He has been working with coffee for 40 years, continuing a family legacy that spans generations. Coffee has long been the source of economic stability for Javier and his family. His son, Gerardo, is charged with the daily operations of the farm. At half a hectare in size, the duties are mostly kept within the family, with the exception of up to six people from the area employed during the harvest. The coffee is grown under the shade of lime and avocado trees, and only the ripe cherries are selected for processing.

From Creativa Coffee District:

"Our collaborating producers bring their beautifully ripe cherries to us at our mill, and our work begins. First, we make sure the quality is there. Average Brix levels of 18° and a pH above 4.5 is what we look for. After this, we assign the different batches to one of four fermentation methods. Each one is a carefully designed canvas that sets the stage for the cherries to become what they truly are – masterpieces.

"INTRINSIC CHERRY Here we ferment the cherry in the very same bags they come in. It is in this way our process maintains the essence of each micro-lot. The bacteria and yeast strains are unique and vary in each batch, and by involving them in the fermentation, we let the essence of the cherry shine. We open the fermentation environment to the air and allow nature to guide the temperature – which averages at 30° Celsius. In this case, we just keep an eye out to keep temperatures below 45° Celsius, to prevent the cherries from overheating. We keep the fermentation times between 12 and 72 hours, because the soaring temperatures of our natural environment result in drastic changes of the cherry cell structure, and rapid embryo death, completely changing the cup profile."