The cultivation of coffee transformed Costa Rica in the 19th century. Thanks to its production, and mainly the beginning of the commercialization of coffee, the Central American country left behind its subsistence agriculture, to give way to the flourishing industry of the so-called national golden grain. In 1820, the first export of coffee from Costa Rica was made to Panama, commemorating in 2020 the bicentennial of that historical milestone.
Since then, the national economy has diversified: cultivation and export of other products, tourism, Foreign Direct Investment, shared services and the manufacture of medical devices. However, coffee remains an important engine of the national economy and of the Costa Rican culture.
According to the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (Icafé), in its latest report presented at the National Coffee Congress, there are currently more than 93,000 hectares and more than 38,000 producers dedicated to coffee cultivation in the country.
Furthermore, according to the International Coffee Organization, Ticos are one of the largest consumers of coffee in the region, with an average consumption of 4.1 kilos per person per year.
How much do we Ticos know about national coffee?
Within the framework of International Coffee Day, experts from 100% Costa Rican Nescafé Ground Coffee invite you to discover some curiosities of the Costa Rican golden bean:
• In order to produce a higher quality bean, 100% of the coffee grown in Costa Rica is of the Arabica species, specifically the Caturra and Catuaí species.
• In Costa Rica there are eight coffee producing areas: Brunca, Turrialba, Tres Ríos, Orosi, Tarrazú, Valles Central y Occidental and Guanacaste.
— The national grain is grown in soils of volcanic origin and low acidity, ideal conditions for a production of the highest quality internationally recognized.
— Each coffee region in Costa Rica signed an agreement in which the owners of the beneficiary companies are committed to receiving and processing only fruit in optimum ripeness, to guarantee an improved cup quality.
• Around 83% of the national coffee production is placed in international markets, where the country enjoys great prestige for the quality of its grain. The main buyer is the United States, with more than 47%.
• Coffee made from 100% Costa Rican grain, for national or international consumption, has a geographical indication seal as Café de Costa Rica.
