Coffee time!

Today was a visit many students were looking forward to, the opportunity to walk through a coffee farm, see how the process from planting to packing works and to taste several types of coffee. Don Pepe Estates was an excellent stop.

Located in the Chiriqui province of Boquete, Don Pepe Coffee Estates is a fourth- generation Panamanian owned coffee farm that has been operating for 126 years. The farm is comprised of 70 hectares with 59 hectares used for growing 7 varieties of coffee. Prior to 2021, Don Pepe did not have  on-site roasting capabilities nor a gift shop to showcase their coffee. This has been changed and we were able to:

• See several varieties of coffee plants
• Learn about the harvesting process
• See coffee beans drying in the sun
• Walk through the packaging facility
• Sample 5 types of coffee

I didn’t think we’d get to taste the expensive Geisha coffee, which recently sold for $10,000/kilo, but we did! Not the one recently sold but the Geisha variety grown by Don Pepe. Geisha coffee is more expensive because the plants require more space and care than other coffee varieties, this yielding fewer beans for harvesting and sell.

Now, I’m not a coffee fan, however, the guide,Brecni, was confident I would be converted by the end of the tastings. He was wrong on that but an amazing guide for our tour.

Enjoy some of the photos from the visit

This business has been a leader in Panama becoming a top coffee destination. Historically, great coffee in Latin America was grown in Columbia and Costa Rica.

We learned the harvest period for coffee runs from November until April with ask harvesting still done by hand. Approximately 90% of the harvest workers are Indigenous Panamanians from the Ngöbe-Buglé group with the other 10% being Latinos. On average a “good picker” picks 300lbs/day, earning $300/week. No machines nor donkeys are used which makes this job very physically demanding. Pickers work on flat lands as well as on terraced hills without any ropes nor support harnesses. I was surprised about the lack of safety features, yet, once Brecni, explained that the workers have grown up on the land and feel comfortable in Crocs and Rubber boots picking the trees, I immediately thought of the ability of humans to persevere and adapt to thrive in their environments.

We will visit the Ngöbe-Buglé people this week, who still maintain traditions and customs from their ancestors.

Post more tomorrow!