Producer: Raymundo Soriano, Finca San Jose
Location: Santa Maria Ozolotepec, Sierra Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico
Farm size: 0.5 hectares
Harvest: January through April 2023
Processing: Washed, dried on patios for 5 days.
Other details: Organic, shade grown
Raymundo Soriano grew up surrounded by coffee, with both of his parents working as coffee producers. Following in their footsteps, he started his small 1/2 hectare farm 30 years ago and named it Finca Rancho San Jose.
He began working in specialty coffee in 2019 after establishing contact with Caravela Coffee, our exporting and importing partner for this lot, and was able to receive a much higher price for his efforts for the first time. His production has increased since making this jump to the specialty market and he has put some new practices in place on his farm to improve the quality of his coffee.
Raymundo produces coffee along with his wife, Antonia Pinacho. During the 3-month harvest season they hire workers to help with picking the ripe cherries, provide weed control, and manage the shade environment around the coffee plants. Other members of the family are involved in this process as well, and Raymundo himself carries out the post-harvest processing.
The production process at Ranco San Jose is very simple and straightforward, epitomizing the results that can come from small Oaxacan lots with lots of care and attention to detail. Coffee is de-pulped immediately after hand-harvesting the ripe cherries. Raymundo carries out a fermentation in tanks for 48 hours before washing the coffee and drying in direct on on patios for 5 days.
