The Torres family historically struggled to farm Los Pinos due to rocky terrain, steep incline, and unpredictable weather. Lica's father initially planted pine trees. Seeing neighbors successfully grow coffee, and learning about the experimental Yellow Obatã variety from San Vito, Lica decided to try coffee. Yellow Obatã is a leaf-rust-resistant variety likely resulting from a natural cross between Red Obatã and Yellow Catuai, developed under Dr. Alcides Carvalho in São Paulo.
Lica and Richy process the coffee using a double-washed method. Coffee rests briefly in fruit, then is pulped with some mucilage intact. Parchment is soaked in fresh water for 12-18 hours, agitated to release mucilage, and rinsed clean. It dries for 8 days in greenhouses on raised beds, then finishes on a patio or mechanical dryer for 2 days to reach optimal humidity.
Finally, the parchment is taken to Tesoros dry mill for hulling, sorting by size, weight, and color, and then loaded for shipping.
