The Costa Rican coffee produced by Green Communities won in 4 categories of the World Coffee Challenge 2022, an international competition that rewards coffee producers and their products for their quality.
Green Communities is an organization that brings sustainable development to the Los Santos region by converting conventional coffee farms into organic, ecological coffee farms. It was created in 2003 and has been helping the region’s transition to sustainable economic development.
This coffee, originally from the Zona de Los Santos, swept the categories: Special Jury Prize, considered the most important of the competition, Best Natural Arabica, Best Honey Arabica, and Best Central American Coffee.
The competition was held in Ourense, Spain, and 75 coffee samples from 15 countries participated.
These awards represent the effort that, for 20 years, this organization has made hand in hand with 15 farmers and their families in Providencia de Dota, San Pedro, and Bajo San José de Tarrazú.
Green Communities receives hundreds of international volunteers yearly to change conventional coffee farms to organic ones. The coffee they produce is environmentally friendly.
“These awards demonstrate that it is possible to produce coffee with zero environmental impact. Our farms are sustainable; we have a micro-beneficiary that does not need water, we have solar panels for the mobilization of the machinery, we use the sun to dry the beans, and even the packaging is compostable.
I am happy that we are breaking down myths regarding organic coffee, creating a positive impact by educating and generating the best quality coffee throughout the process until it reaches the final consumer,” said Jonathan Cerdas, founder and owner.
This award marks a milestone in the quality of organic coffee and represents an excellent achievement for the country.
“We want to thank all the families, farmers, and students who visit us from international organizations that believe in the organic, ecological coffee project in the Zona de Los Santos; they awarded us with four of the best types of coffee in the competition.
We want to thank all the effort and sacrifice that the farmers make with us in the farms where we produce the best coffee in the world for the environmental and economic development of the Zona de Los Santos,” noted Carlos Marin, founder, and co-owner.
The President of the Costa Rican Association of Gastronomy and Sustainable Tourism, Alejandro Madrigal, was present at the awards ceremony in Spain and was very proud of their achievements.
“Trust, respect, and admiration for a project and a process linked to sustainability. The ‘Special Prize of the Jury’ is the main award and this coffee set the standard regarding sustainability and quality. It’s a milestone,” he pointed out.