Here is something special from the southern half of Costa Rica where a group of about 100 producers with just a few acres of land dedicated to organically cultivate coffee along with beans and corn have pulled their resources to form a cooperative called Cooperativa Agroindustrial y de Servicios Múltiples de San Antonio, Pérez Zeledón R.L. (COOPEASSA R.L.). Producers focus their attention on farm management throughout the year and then deliver their cherry to the COOPEASSA R.L. mill during the harvest where traceability and quality control are second to none. The wet-mill is designed to receive cherries from many small farms and consistently process this well-balanced regional blend. Cherries are placed in a tank with water to remove the less dense and damaged beans that float. Next the cherries are depulped and pass through a demucilager that mechanically strips the mucilage from the beans. All of this is done with a recycling water system. The washed parchment is then placed on raised beds and the moisture is gently reduced to 11 percent and stored until it is time to prepare for export. COOPEASSA R.L. has an equally intricate model of income diversification with a profitable agriculture supply store, supermarket and roasted coffee sold throughout the country.
