Farm info

Tío Juan Micromill is a family project which was started in 2015 by coffee producer Juan Rafael Montero Gamboa with the intention of improving the quality of the coffee from his family farm, Monteroga. Juan Rafael has been taking care of his land since the 1960s and works to cultivate coffee in a harmonious way with nature.

Juan Rafael believes that every living organism, no matter how large or small, is part of a habitat and ecosystem. This means that his land, where he lives alongside hundreds of organisms, must remain perfectly tuned to thrive. His belief in this harmony guides the way that he works with his soil and crops, knowing that coffee quality depends on the way which producers work in their ecosystems.

Juan Rafael’s production practices are designed to be sustainable and to consider his environment. He analyzes the soil regularly, producing his own organic fertilizers called “bioles”. These foliar-type fertilizers are created through anaerobic digestion of plants, and are nutrient-rich enough to fulfill most of the nutritional requirements of his coffee. All of the weed removal on the farm is done by hand, and Juan Rafael also chooses not to use any herbicides on his plants.

This lot of Red Catuai coffee was grown on the “Truchas” lot at Monteroga, and underwent Washed processing at Tío Juan Micromill. Fully ripe cherries were selectively harvested before being brought to the mill where they were pulped. The pulped coffee was then fermented with its mucilage for 48 hours prior to being washed. The washed coffee is then dried on raised beds until reaching its optimal humidity.