Costa Rica Organization Promotes Coffee Blends
By
Marie Feliciano, Taiwan News
Costa Rica's rich, intensely fragrant, and
full-bodied brews are winning the hearts and wallets of Taiwan's coffee
connoisseurs, the nation's coffee ambassadors said yesterday.
"We call our specialty coffee 'cups of gold,'" explained Deli Cafe
president and top coffee producer Francisco Mena.
"The gourmet coffee that our country produces is made from the choicest
coffee beans harvested from Costa Rica's high-altitude farms, and
processed under the strictest of quality standards. We call them our
'volcanic treasures' because they thrive on volcanic soil."
Producing only the Arabica varietal, Costa Rica had been synonymous with
extraordinary brews, added Grace Mena, president of Sintercafe, a
non-profit organization that promotes and markets Costa Rica's golden
crops.
"Yes, our coffee is expensive and we are proud of that," the official
said.
"While coffee prices had declined worldwide, our produce continued to
fetch premium prices because buyers knew that we only sold the best
beans in the market."
Gourmet coffee from Costa Rica was such in high demand that online
auctions featuring a few pounds or sacks of those precious beans were
organized, Deli Cafe's Mena added.
Unlike other producers, Costa Rica had deliberately shunned the
"generic" or large-scale coffee market.
"We can't compete on that level since Costa Rica's production costs and
quality and environmental standards are much higher compared with other
producers," Sintercafe's Grace Mena said.
Even the government required coffee farmers to cultivate only the
Arabica varietal. This system, she said, enabled Costa Rica's coffee
authorities to strictly monitor the quality of each harvest.
"That's the law. The government does not want to dilute the quality of
our coffee. We cannot risk our reputation, and we can't lower our
standards," she continued. "To stay competitive, we have to excel in the
specialty coffee market."
Costa Rica was doing just that, added Rodrigo Jimenez, deputy executive
director and marketing manager of the Costa Rican Coffee Institute.
The delegation - which met with officials of the Taiwan Coffee
Association, importers, and roasters - was confident that Taiwan would
be consuming more Costa Rican blends this year.
"We would also be using Taiwan as our gateway to China, and plans are
underway to enter the Korean market," said Grace Mena, noting that Costa
Rica's specialty coffee brands - such as Lomas Al Rio - were already
selling well in Japan.
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Francisco Mena, director of Costa Rica's Deli Cafe, demonstrates how
to make good coffee at Taipei, yesterday. |
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