ROAST LEVEL: MEDIUM-LIGHT

TASTING NOTES: CHERRY-NUTTY-CRANBERRY-MILK CHOCOLATE

GROWER: Juan de Dios Castillo Aruaz (J&M Family Coffee, S.A.) | Finca El Pastoral

REGION: Located in the municipality of Jinotega within the department of Jinotega, Nicaragua

PROCESS: Full natural and dried in the sun

CULTIVAR: Catuai, Parainema

ALTITUDE: 1100 – 1460 masl

SOIL: Volcanic loam

Juan de Dios Castillo and his 4 siblings 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 business as tailors in the town of Jinotega. With this first goal completed, Juan de Dios Castillo decided to take on a new challenge 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 Natural 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, and transported to the dry-mill where the weather conditions are more stable for evenly drying coffee inside the cherry. 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.