Ladder Coffee Roasters
Spokane, WA, USA
Roger Urena has been involved in coffee farming since he was a young boy. Both his parents and grandparents were coffee farmers and taught him how to work the land. In his own words, he believes that growing coffee in Tarrazu is a very common activity which has been shared from family to family for years, because it is a good source of income and family growth. Since Roger was little he was expected to work; helping his father in the dairy and coffee farming activities. At the same time he fulfilled his studies and finished high school. Still, at the age of 15 he started working in coffee by himself, starting with a coffee nursery, and later on started to grow his first coffee plantation. In 1987 Roger went to work in the United States in order to save money. This way he could invest in his business back home, which he needed for growing his coffee plantations. Yet, it was not until years ago that he decided to process his own cherries at Santa Teresa micro-mill because the prices the cooperative was offering him were no longer sustainable. The main farm, Santa Teresa, where the mill is located was acquired by Roger 10 years ago. Its altitude goes from 1900 masl to 2050 masl. It has a total of 60 hectares, but the area where coffee is planted is just 10 hectares. Most of the land remains protected forest. Roger strategically chose a great parcel of his land to build his processing plant. It faces the gentle afternoon sun and is situated on a slope that clouds tend to move away from quickly. In this farm he decided to install a Penagos pulping machine, raised beds inside of a greenhouse, concrete patios, mechanical dryers, and a warehouse. A complete operation.
Strawberry
Caramel
White Wine
Type
Single Origin
Origin
San José Province, San Marcos, Costa Rica
Roast
Medium-Light
Species
Arabica
Varieties
Yellow Catuai
Process
White Honey
Altitude
1800-2050m
Producer
Ureña Chacón Family