On the porch of the new Prodecoop cupping facility and office.

My favorite sign at the Prodecoop mill. Dust is a real problem at some mills, and as in grain silos, dust can be explosive. But the Prodecoop mill is the cleanest I have ever seen, with the coffee-sorters separated completely from the hulling and sorting equipment that kick up so much dust into the air.

To the left: The Co-op is on steep hillsides with coffee trees planted under heavy shade ... this is typical for not only organic coffees grown in Nicaragua but all coffee.

On the march up to 1600 meters, me with some of the Co-op members. They have native shade trees but also banana interplanted with the coffee (I had thought that banana couldn't be grown at coffee elevations). The Cultivars here are mostly Typica, Bourbón, and some Caturra.

At this time of the season, the first flowering of the trees was complete, and where the flower was (dried brown remnants) emerges the coffee fruit. You can see the little green cherries starting to form in this picture to the left.

And the fiercest of all. This turkey was puffing up its feathers and chasing us visitors out of its way, much to the delight of the co-op members. But it was all good fun, and I wasn't going to leave without a good close-up of the brute!

Also see:

Nicaragua Cup of Excellence Competition 2003
Nicaragua Trip 2003: Matagalpa and Nueva Segovia
Selva Negra Farm: Matagalpa, Nicaragua