Harvesting of ripe cherries is done exclusively by hand and only those that are red are picked.  This variety of coffee does not grow tall therefore it allows us to forego the use of machinery.  Several passes are done to each parcel during the harvest season which is between October and February so we may pick the ripest cherries possible (+/- 90%). Our processing methods are managed carefully to utilize the least amount of water so we can contribute to preserving our environment.  We use a Compact Ecological Module to remove the pulp.

Coffee is pre-dried in the sun.  This reduces humidity to approximately 25%. The coffee is then dried to 11% humidity using a dryer which is warmed by burning the beans’ chaff. Once the coffee has all been picked and processed, it remains with in parchment and is rested for approximately 90 days.  After it has rested for the above mentioned period of time, it is classified  by size and weight using #16, #17, #18 screens. The rest of the selection process is done by hand using desired physical
characteristics as the determining factor of whether these will be used for export.

After processing is completed and hand selection has concluded, we then load the coffee into a container to go to port.  The loading process takes approximately an hour and the truck makes the 7 hour trip to the port of Manzanillo, Colon, to make its journey to Germany. Rancho Gotta’s General Manager supervises all facets to make sure all is in order for its journey from our land. Premium Coffee is stored in the NKG Kala Hamburg, which is part of Neumann Group, the largest coffee warehouse in Europe and one of the biggest in the world. About 35,000 tons of coffee can be stored in it.  Of those 35,000 tons we contribute 16.5 tons