Los Campos - Costa Rica

The Ramirez-Navarro family, originally led by Alexis Ramirez, has deep roots in coffee farming. Alexis, a passionate farmer, dedicated his entire life to farming specialty coffee. He faced many challenges, including low coffee prices and the limitations of the cooperative system, which restricted his ability to focus on the quality and traceability of his coffee. Determined to overcome these obstacles, Alexis made a bold decision in 2015 to establish his own micro-mill: Los Campos. This allowed the family to process their coffee independently, giving them control over every stage of production and enabling them to pursue higher quality standards for their micro-lots. His ultimate goal was to ensure that his coffee would not only stand out for its taste but also be fully traceable and transparent from farm to cup. Unfortunately, just two years after founding the mill and seeing his dream realized, Alexis passed away in 2017. However, his children inherited his farm, dedication, and values, and continue his legacy of hard work, quality, and transparency.

One of the varieties they cultivate is the Esperanza F1 Hybrid. Research into F1 hybrid coffee began as a response to the challenges facing coffee production, including disease outbreaks such as coffee leaf rust, climate change, and declining crop yields. Traditional coffee varieties were increasingly vulnerable to pests and environmental stress, threatening the livelihoods of farmers and the global coffee supply. By developing F1 hybrids, scientists aimed to create more resilient coffee plants that combine high yields, disease resistance, and improved cup quality, ensuring a sustainable future for coffee farming in changing conditions.

Natural thermic coffee processing is an innovative method that uses controlled heat treatments to influence the fermentation and drying stages of coffee processing. In this process, coffee cherries are first harvested and then exposed to heat at various stages, either during fermentation or drying, to alter the bean's chemical composition and flavor profile. The heat helps accelerate fermentation, allowing for the development of specific flavors. The natural thermic process enhances the sweetness, fruitiness, and complexity of this coffee resulting in notes of sweet peaches, citrusy grapefruit and creaminess like milk chocolate.