Lifelong friends, Johel Monge Naranjo and Manuel Salas Araya, won a prize for best coffee in Costa Rica, the Cup of Excellence, both in 2017 and this year. The competition was judged by 25 tasting judges from Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America.
Their coffee, of the Geisha variety, from the Don Darío farm, in Copey de Dota, scored 91.14. The pair also took third place with a variety from the Don Antonio farm with a score of 90.88.
Monge, age 74, explained that they bought the farms six years ago and named it after both their parents who taught them to cultivate the land. The climate is excellent for growing coffee. They put a lot of love into their work.
Their coffee belongs to the international organization Alliance for Coffee Excellence as well as the Fine Coffee Association of Costa Rica. It is sponsored by the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica.
