NICARAGUA ORGANIC FINCA EL PASTORAL NATURAL

What’s the best way to support coffee producers? This is exactly the question Juan de Dios Castillo (the family’s agronomist) and his 4 siblings were looking to answer when they created J&M Family Coffee, a privately owned export company named after their parents Juan and Miriam (J&M).  Their first goal was to sell their parents’ coffee directly to international buyers.  It was a way to honor their parents who started cultivating coffee during their childhood with the income from the first family tailoring business in the town of Jinotega.  With this first goal completed, Juan de Dios Castillo decided to take the next step and start his own farm called El Pastoral, which has 150 acres of coffee production.  

Cherries from Finca Pastoral are selected for more specialized processing rather than the more common washed processing.  This honey processed lot is a stunning example of the skill and commitment Juan de Dios has invested in the family business.   During the harvest, the coffee cherries are carefully harvested, sorted, and depulped.  Then the remaining seed covered in mucilage is transported to the dry-mill where the weather conditions are more stable for evenly drying coffee.  After drying is completed, the coffee is stored and later prepared for export at the same dry-mill.  This is a truly integrated model, in which J&M Family Coffee ensures quality control and traceability from farm to export.