Nicaragua - Cafetos de Nueva Segovia (Wholesale)

Cafetos de Segovia micromill is a labor of love from the Albir family, specifically now the second generation, sisters Ana and Martha Albir, who inherited their passion for coffee from their father, who bought a coffee farm in 1991, tending to it with dedication until political strife forced his family to leave the country and cease the day-to-day operations of the farm. In 2007, Ana and Martha decided to take over the farm and continue their father's tradition. In 2015, they invested in a mill as well, and began their milling operation as Cafetos de Segovia in 2016, providing milling and exporting services not only for their own family farm but also for 11 nearby farms owned by friends and family.

Nicaragua is known for producing larger quantities of standard coffees, and microlots are much less common, despite the presence of good quality varieties like Bourbon and Caturra: The lower elevations throughout the country and the prevalence of coffee-leaf rust have made it difficult for producers to achieve that elusive microlot status. The Albir sisters and their associates are interested in producing specialty coffee, and are going the extra mile to separate lots based on variety and a host of experimental processes such as Honeys and Naturals, which are unusual for Nicaraguan coffee as well. We expect to see the volumes of their microlot-quality lots improve, and are also impressed by their blended lots of more standard coffees—a diversity of options that allow them to grow with the developing Nicaraguan specialty market.