Farm visit in Nicaragua - Finca Monte Cristo

By Nikolaus Hartmann

We have been sourcing coffee from Nicaragua from Ulrich Salamun and his wife Sabine Khalil for over five years. Long-standing, personal relationships with our producers are important to us, and in this case, their coffees have been part of our range from the very beginning. Good coffee isn't produced in a coffee machine, but on the farm; they know this and we value it. You'd be surprised how often quality suffers at the expense of quantity, especially with coffee. That's why a quality-oriented, innovative, and sustainable approach from our producers is so important to us. They work almost exclusively with certified organic standards and strive to improve quality year after year. Their quality standards are high, as is their love for the land and its people. The workers on their farms are well off; they are provided with food and medical services, and are paid better for better work. There are many fascinating details to observe on the finca, from the home-bred earthworms to the broca traps and the ubiquitous manure bags for the workers' plastic waste. Collection options are especially important here, as disposable packaging hasn't existed for very long, and previously, almost everything that was thrown away simply didn't decompose. This situation can be observed across the country and the world.

We were extremely fortunate to arrive at the farm just in time for our coffee processing, allowing us to see the anaerobic treatment in the new tanks for ourselves. We even got to try the first samples and were thrilled.

Ulrich and Sabine

Photo: Coffee with Ulrich and Sabine at the finca, Viva la Aeropress!

Finca Montecristo

Image: Finca Montecristo

Wetmill Montecristo

Image: Wetmill and fermentation tanks for anaerobic treatment, Finca Montecristo

Picture: a traditional hearty lunch at the finca... and it was vegan.

Image: Coffee cherries (red Catuai) Finca Montecristo

Image: Biodiverse cultivation with shade trees/palms

Image: Roja / Coffee rust, the #1 coffee disease and one of the biggest challenges not only for organic farms...

Image: whoever doesn't use chemicals has earthworms

FarmLife Nicaragua

Picture: last photo before departure with Ulrich, Sabine and his agricultural engineer and his wife

We really enjoyed our time in Nicaragua with Ulrich and Sabine, as they were able to give us such a comprehensive insight into their work and the country, while also lovingly caring for us two lost backpackers. In the meantime, they have almost finished building their dry mill and have been able to make some improvements for the next harvest. We are already looking forward to the new harvest! Many thanks to them both for welcoming us so warmly and for giving us so much of their precious time.

The two are currently in lockdown in Nicaragua and are enjoying the peace and quiet while carrying out essential work on the finca. The impact of COVID-19 on the coffee industry is still difficult to estimate; the growing regions are also severely affected, and I can't imagine how a coffee harvest will work with social distancing, or how necessary harvest workers will be able to cross closed borders (e.g., Honduras). In any case, we are in contact with most of our producers and wish them all strength and health during these difficult times, most of which are still to come.

Farm visit in Nicaragua - Finca Monte Cristo

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