Origin guideCentral America
Costa Rica Costa Rican speciality coffee
Costa Rica is a small producer by volume but a big name in speciality coffee. Family farms, a focus on arabica and a wave of farm-level micromills have made it one of the most inventive origins in the world.
The field notes
Costa Rica at a glance
- Harvest
October – March
- Production
About 1.2 million 60 kg bags (2025/26)
- Main regions
Tarrazú · West Valley · Central Valley · Tres Ríos · Orosi · Turrialba · Brunca · Guanacaste
- Common varietals
Caturra · Catuaí · Villa Sarchi · Typica · Bourbon · Geisha
Production figures: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service estimates for 2025/26, published July 2026.
When is it harvested, and how is it processed? See our guide to coffee harvesting and processing.
Chapter 01The story
History of coffee in Costa Rica
Coffee has been grown in Costa Rica’s Central Valley since the late 1700s. After independence in 1821, the government handed out coffee seeds and land to encourage planting, and by 1829 coffee had overtaken cacao, tobacco and sugar as the country’s main export.
The first direct shipment to Britain sailed in 1843, and coffee money went on to fund much of the country’s development, including its first railway to the Atlantic coast.
Chapter 02Farming
Built on small farms
Around 90% of Costa Rica’s roughly 50,000 coffee farmers are smallholders. The mountainous land doesn’t suit the heavy machinery large estates rely on, which has helped keep coffee in the hands of families.
Costa Rica has also backed quality over quantity. For around 30 years, the law banned planting robusta, keeping the country’s coffee focused on arabica.
Chapter 03Today
Coffee in Costa Rica today
Since the early 2000s, many farmers have built their own micromills so they can process their coffee on the farm instead of selling cherry to a large central mill. That control has sparked a wave of experimentation, and honey and natural processing are now widespread.
Times are not easy for every farmer. Between 2007 and 2017, the number of coffee farmers fell by 19%, as low prices and rising land values pushed some out of coffee.
Our Las Lajas comes from the Chacón family’s micromill in the Central Valley.
Taste this origin
