Costa Rica Cerro La Cruz El Alto

About This Coffee

Cerro La Cruz is located in Terrazu, a beautiful, mountainous region. The climate is warm, yet crisp, and the layers of fog ebb and flow with cool nights and sunny days. Rolando Esquivel Bararantes and family have been growing coffee here for three generations. With Don Rolando handling the business end, his sons Cesar and Jason have taken the reins on farm operations. In 2016, the Bararantes family realized that to continue pursuing the level of excellence they strove for, they would have to start taking more control over their processing. It was a risk, but they decided to build a micro-mill on site to separate and process their own lots. These coffees had long been Jared’s favorites from the region, and in 2016, Ruby was able to be the first US roaster to visit Cerro La Cruz and to buy coffee from the new project. This type of risk — assuming the financial burden of a new processing facility — rings oddly familiar for Ruby, mirroring our own journey starting a roastery in Central Wisconsin. In 2023, Ashley, our business manager, and Katy, production roaster, were able to visit again and see first hand how they continue to grow. In recent years, they’ve put up new buildings and invested in new equipment, and they’ve replanted many plots with new stock to keep the trees healthy and vigorous.  Ruby works directly with the Bararantes family to negotiate pricing, source lots, and coordinate exporting efforts. The commitment to our partnership gives both Ruby and the Bararantes family consistency and clarity, year after year, into what the cost of production is and what fair prices for their coffees actually are. We're grateful to be able to partner with Rolando and his family on this coffee and future endeavors as well. We especially look forward to the opportunity each year to taste every lot and appreciate each for their own unique qualities.