In Costa Rica, the changes micro-mills have had on specialty coffee is unbelievable. Each month, there are around 6 micro-mill opening and each month there are more and more.
Costa Rica’s micro mill revolution
Photo credit: Fabiola Solano
The micro-mill revolution started in my community Tarrazu, Costa Rica around 15 years ago.
For many years, producers gave their coffee cherries to Cooperatives. (Related: Cooperatives v Estates).
There are 2 main Coops in my town: Coope Tarrazu and Coope Dota. My family has belonged to the Dota Coop for many years. Nowadays, 800 producers belong to Coope Dota.
The operation and scale in a Coop is much bigger than an operation at a Micro-mill. (The cooperative has the equipment to process coffee, and processes larger amounts, it deals with the administration and sales of coffee too)