Cascara

Cascara is the dried outer skin of the coffee cherry and is an often-overlooked delicacy. While Ethiopians have been drying and brewing dried coffee cherry for centuries, cascara has only recently started gaining popularity in the specialty coffee world. Cascara has a low caffeine content around the same as green tea.

Las Lajas farm is currently being run by Oscar Chacon and his wife, Francisca, who are the third generation of coffee producers in their family. They have been successful in preserving the legacy of their farm, and their coffee has gained immense popularity, with production rising to over 2000 bags per year. The duo runs a diverse farming operation that involves growing and processing coffee, leading to the creation of unique and terroir-driven coffees that cannot be found elsewhere.

Only the ripest, sweetest, most perfect cherries are reserved for this cascara. We know cascara can oftentimes be an afterthought or treated as a byproduct, but Oscar devotes as much attention to his cascara as he does his coffees.

Cultivation

A farm of near legendary status, Las Lajas has been producing coffee since 1840. Nestled in the foothills of the Poas volcano in the Sabanilla of Alajuela region of Costa Rica, the farm has been passed down from generation to generation.

In 2000, Las Lajas became one of the first farms in Costa Rica to be officially certified organic—the history of their organic practices, however, stretches back to 1980, the year that Oscar’s father passed away due to pesticide-related illnesses. Despite there being no premiums paid at the time for organic coffee, Oscar and Francisca knew they needed to make the change to organic and sustainable farming for the health and longevity of both their family and Las Lajas. They have been champions of organic farming ever since.

Harvest & Post-Harvest

In recent years, the Chacons have made a name for themselves as some of the first farmers to push the boundaries of natural and honey-processing in Costa Rica and Central America. Their revered micromill opened in 2006, producing 25 bags of coffee.

Sustainable Harvest

Sustainable Harvest® is a specialty coffee trader focusing primarily on bringing coffees to market that are sourced from smallholder farmer cooperatives in the supply chain such as indigenous communities, women groups and the next generation of coffee farmers.

Their sourcing model is built on transparency, traceability and direct relationships between quality-minded coff­ee roasters and best-in-class coffee producers. Sustainable Harvest® has an on-site presence at origin with staff­ in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru. Each office coordinates their supply including quality management, supplier relationships, source development, logistics, training and capacity building.