Costa Rica La Unión: Award-Winning Farm Strengthens Gimme Relationship

Published Aug 1, 2008

The Costa Rica Cup of Excellence competition got us acquainted with La Unión and its owner, Maria Elena Camacho. This harvest season, we jumped at the opportunity to continue our coffee relationship.

Brew It At Home

The newest La Unión is an ultra-clean cup, with flavor notes ranging from jasmine to snap peas. It's perfect for brewing at home. You can buy bags online and have them shipped right to you. As always, we recommend grinding fresh and brewing in a French Press to fully enjoy this coffee's stellar flavor.

The La Unión Relationship

Last year's award-winning harvest from La Unión became one of the most popular coffees on our list. This time around, we went straight to the source, buying from the farm for a second year running. Relationship coffee is a new model of coffee trading, where roasters and growers work together to establish a long-term trading partnership. This relationship can continue over many years. Among the benefits:

• Transparency: You know know exactly where you coffee comes from, and the growers know exactly where it's going.
• Quality: Farmers can plan for the future and make investments in their growing, processing, and transportation practices.
• Fair prices for farmers: By going straight to the source, we ensure that farmers are receiving fair prices for their excellent coffees.

About the Farm

On a mountain-side with a magnificent view of the Central Valley, La Unión has belonged to the family of Maria Elena Camacho for more than 50 years. Just one year ago, the family decided to re-dedicate themselves to the farm and its crop, betting for quality. The family built their own mill to guarantee proper treatment of the beans throughout the entire process.