Nicaragua El Árbol Parainema Indigo Lot 854 - CM Natural

THE FARM

Finca El Árbol

Producer / Claudia Lovo & Tim Willens
Region / Dipilto
Varietal / Parainema
Altitude / 1200-1500

In 2016 producer Claudia Lovo teamed up with Saša and other coffee professionals to create a farm that is self-sustaining. This farm previously produced only commodity coffee and was financially unsustainable, so they implemented a model that valued soil, workers, and cup quality equally.

Finca El Árbol, meaning ‘The Tree’, is working towards increased biodiversity and becoming completely organic by 2025. They home beehives and livestock, grow vegetables to feed the workers and create their own organic compost to nourish the soil. They have upgraded their workers’ accommodation and provide meals for pickers, health care, dental care and education.

On the coffee front, El Árbol’s processing methods are particularly exciting because they are done on a wide range of varieties including marsellesa, pacamara, maracaturra, catuai, bourbon and caturra.

Prepare to enjoy 5 years of hard work, finally ready to be showcased.

To be a completely organic farm by 2025.

El Árbol’s aim to become completely organic by 2025 is making great progress. The team are slowly reducing the use of chemicals that have been used to fight la roya (leaf rust) and replacing them with organic compost made on the farm from the local animals, trees, vegetables and flowers.They are increasing the bio-diversity in the local area so the natural environment can return to being self-sustaining and nutrient rich. This should ensure high quality coffee production, generating fair prices and allowing the farm to continue supporting its 14 full time workers and their families.

Claudia and Saša have gone to great lengths to focus on the workers at El Árbol, as they are one fo the defining differences that make this farm so special. Before the farm itself was refurbished, investments were made into the accommodation and resources used by the workers and their families. All meals are cooked on the farm and both the managers and workers all eat together. Basic health and dental care are provided to all staff and their children. The farm even employs English and computer tutors for on-site education. As a Project Origin farm, we are proud to share the progress and work alongside the coffees of this amazing team.