An exemplary coffee producer is one who steadily explores new ways to improve their quality through a combination of focus, vision, and an earnest pursuit of delicious coffee. Helsar de Zarcero is a mill that checks all those boxes year after year.
Situated high in the rolling plains of Llano Bonito de Naranjo in Costa Rica, Ricardo Perez built his now renowned coffee mill originally to serve his own harvest of mostly Villa Sarchí variety, and that of his two business partners, Marvin and Felipe Rodriguez. As time passed, local farmers began to notice their dexterity and their commitment to transparency, resulting in more coffees coming into their production. Lots processed at Helsar have won multiple awards, including at Cup of Excellence. The mill’s harvest and processing methods are precise, with coffee being divided into micro lots of both organic and conventional lots, which are then carefully selected for each buyer.
Ricardo Perez has been farming coffee in Costa Rica for over two decades. He has been expanding operations at the mill to include the production of Cascara. Cascara is the dried, naturally sweet husk of the coffee cherry fruit. With the help of the University of Costa Rica’s School of Food Science and Technology, the mill has perfected this process.
Robert was introduced to the Perez family by our good friends and exporters, Exclusive Coffees, widely accepted as the top supplier of specialty coffees from Costa Rica. Exclusive has been an invaluable partner to us, helping to develop our relationships with the farmers with whom we collectively work by introducing us to new potential partners, providing milling & logistic services, and actively working together with farmers on new strategies to improve farm-level practices to improve cup quality each year.
We’re so happy to have gained the relationship with Ricardo through Exclussive as his willingness to work closely with the roasters who buy his coffee together with his skill as a processor allows us to present fantastic specialty coffee.
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