Café Entre Montes

Café Entre Montes is the work of third generation coffee producer Carlos Navarro Valverde, continuing a family tradition begun by his father and grandfather in San Carlos de Tarrazú, Costa Rica. The family manages four farms, San Carlos, San Francisco, El Cura, and El Abuelo, at 1,500 to 1,600 meters above sea level. After years of delivering cherries to conventional receiving stations, they chose to learn processing and market their coffee differently, seeking greater quality and added value. Their first self processed harvest came in 2018, and they have continued ever since.

Caturra and Catuaí form the core of production, alongside smaller plantings of Catigua, Paraíso, and Obatá. Café Entre Montes generally prepares Yellow Honey, a process retained because buyers have responded positively to it. Quality starts in the field with selective picking of fully ripe cherries, careful nutrition, tissue management, pest prevention, and close planning of farm work. The aim is to translate the area’s altitude, rainfall, and seasonal conditions into a clean, distinctive cup.

At the micro mill, the family has invested in a higher capacity pulper that helps separate qualities and remove some defects early in processing. A drying greenhouse adds control during irregular weather, protecting coffee from sudden rain and nighttime moisture. PROCOMER also links Carlos Navarro Valverde and Café Entre Montes to an investment in an ecological compact unit for the wet processing stage, reinforcing the project’s focus on efficient, controlled processing.

For specialty buyers, Café Entre Montes represents a deliberate move from conventional cherry sales toward differentiated coffee. That transition has required tighter farm management, delayed cash flow, and the willingness to keep processing even when traditional market prices were attractive. The family now aims to increase specialty coffee volumes while continuing to improve quality, a long term approach that reflects how they see coffee itself: the result of years of patient work, careful decisions, and continuous learning.