Fernando's Partner Story

Cerro Dragon is located in the mountainous region south of the Costa Rican capital city of San Jose. The farm is aptly named after the Cerro El Dragon Mountain upon which it rests where the consistent, cyclical climate, volcanic soils and high elevation mountain ranges of Tarrazú combine to create excellent conditions for coffee production.

In 2013 Farm manager Richard Valverde harvested his first crop of only 100 bags from Cerro Dragon due to severe leaf rust which causes stress on the coffee plants and stops the production of coffee cherries. However, despite the low harvest, the quality of the beans was good enough for Richard to recognize the future potential of his farmland. 

Intent on improving the quality and yield of his crop, Richard co-founded an initiative to enhance the biodiversity of his land. He created a shared micro mill with four other local farms where they could collectively process their Caturra and Catuaí coffee and share their knowledge of different coffee processing methods. Seven years of hard work later, Richard and his team have increased their coffee production to 500 bags of coffee per year.