Las Nubes Coffee

Xiomara del Carmen Marín Gradiz farms La Bendición in Nicaragua’s Las Nubes community at an average altitude of about 1,250 metres above sea level. She bought the 3.7 hectare property ten years ago with money earned working abroad.  As a single mother, Xiomara relies on it to support her children and wider family. The farm is shaded throughout, mainly by inga, banana plants and native forest species. These plants give roughly forty to fifty per cent cover.

The main coffee varieties grown are Red Catuai, Caturra and Maracaturra, along with a little Java. The harvest runs from January to April and yields around sixty six quintals of green coffee each year.

Coffee processing

There is no wet mill on the farm, so freshly picked cherries travel about two kilometres to Xiomara’s mother’s property. There they are floated, depulped and left to ferment for twenty to thirty six hours before washing. Then the parchment is taken to Cafetos de Segovia for drying on patios or African beds for ten to twelve days. The coffee is not stored on the farm. When dried it moves straight into the dry mill.

Water for processing comes through hoses laid over roughly three kilometres. The mill treats honey water and pulp so they can be converted into organic fertiliser.

Climate change affecting coffee

Climate change is taking its toll. Pests and diseases once confined to lower zones are creeping uphill. Flowering patterns have become erratic and both prolonged droughts and bouts of heavy, concentrated rain are more common. Although La Bendición grows nothing but coffee, these shifting conditions demand constant adjustment to keep the crop healthy and productive.