Daisy & Pepe Fallas - Dona Daisy
Location: Central Valley, Costa Rica
Farm name: Don Pepe
Process station: Dona Daisy
Altitude: 1700 meters above sea level
Varietals: Gesha, SL28
Bought since: 2015
Daisy and Pepe are the oldest coffee producers we are working together with. And they started just a few years ago. This is not a classic coffee producer story of a farm going on for generations, in fact it is the absolute opposite. As the couple Daisy and Jose (Pepe) retired, they started to get interested in the infamous coffee varietal Gesha, that was getting a lot of attention in the area. After years of research: reading online and watching YouTube videos, Daisy and Pepe were convinced they should start growing the coffee in their garden. They talked to everyone they knew and after many phone calls and research they found some Gesha seeds for sale. So the couple’s dream came true, growing and processing coffee in their garden in Central Valley, overlooking the capital city. We truly admire their courage of growing into the agricultural activity. "The greatest challenge has been the knowledge of this very special activity", says Pepe.
Dasiy and Jose “Pepe” Fallas have a beautiful home and truly always makes us feel like we are coming home. The house is overlooking the San Jose city in Costa Rica's Central Valley. The couple live there with their two children and two grandchildren. The mill they have built up is named after Daisy - Doña Daisy - and the farm name after Pepe - Finca Don Pepe. Pepe says “The process we have here is very handmade and very familiar, in which the whole family and even the grandchildren participate. It is wonderful to see the family nucleus in disposition of the coffee activities.”
The house is located at an altitude of about 1700 meters and the garden is huge, which is why they decided to try and grow some coffee there. The business started five years ago after conducting many years of research. They had read about a variety called Gesha on the internet which intrigued them. So Jose and Daisy spoke to everyone they could and after many phone calls found someone who had a good and DNA-proofed Gesha-seed for sale. It is an honour being a part of Daisy and Pepes’ journey into coffee.
I still remember visiting Doña Daisy for the first time, we had a short notice and interrupted the couple sitting and sorting coffee at their dining table. I thought this was a coincidence, but Pepe and Daisy were finishing the third (!) sorting of the parchments. And on my two visits after, they handsort coffee at the dining table every time. Is this my dream of what to do when I go in to retirement? Yes! Growing Gesha and drying it on raised beds with a breathtaking view with daughter and grandkids around. For such a young, small enterprise, they have already received great acclaim.
The farm is at a height of 1,650-1700 metres and the sun covers it from dawn until two in the afternoon. This has made the Gesha coffee evolve very correctly. For many years they had cows, sheep, goats and horses on the grounds of the farm, and that has contributed to the flavour of the soil, which is at its maximum quality.
After cupping hundreds of coffees on a buying trip in 2017 the Dona Daisy was my favourite cup of the day. Heading back from Tarrazu region we decided to stop by and visit Pepe and Daisy, at their home and farm, just on the boarder of Costa Ricas capital city, San Jose. Visiting the couple again this year we were both excited to continue our relationship.
