{"title":"Fruity Coffees","description":"\u003cspan\u003eOur \"blue\" colour category of coffees. Taste notes like cooked berries, rum, fruit candies, and tropical fruits.\u003c\/span\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"deluxe-blend","title":"Deluxe Blend","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOur Deluxe blend is a mixture of our two juiciest natural coffees at the moment, right now from Ethiopia and Costa Rica. We believe that blending shouldn't just be for the basic coffees in a roastery's lineup... Sometimes you just want to smash two of your favourite fruit-bombs together into an unforgettable cup. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimply put, this is the coffee blend that our roasting team wants to drink every single morning. Who wouldn't? It tastes like melted Neapolitan Ice Cream.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1650 Meters above Sea Level\u003cbr\u003eVarietal: Catuai, \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e74112, 74158, Wild Guji Megadu\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCup score: 87\u003cbr\u003ePrice paid per kg: £11.11\u003cbr\u003eProcess: Both fully natural\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Skylark Coffee","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole bean","offer_id":32182406152310,"sku":null,"price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":41466047496310,"sku":"","price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56385029144962,"sku":null,"price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":32182406185078,"sku":null,"price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56141761610114,"sku":null,"price":12.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole bean","offer_id":32182406217846,"sku":"","price":42.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":41466047529078,"sku":"","price":42.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56385029177730,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":32182406250614,"sku":"","price":42.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56141761642882,"sku":null,"price":42.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/products\/IMG_20171029_153848_872_d55b9b36-70d9-4b31-82b9-8c8710aabd90.jpg?v=1607626468"},{"product_id":"china-banka-natural","title":"China Banka Natural","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs the climate changes, Asian coffees and China in particular will likely play a key role in specialty coffee's future. This is our fourth season purchasing coffee from China, and we're thrilled to bring back this one from Banka! Previously always in our 'brown', mostly chocolatey category, this year Banka is extra tasty – so we're now launching it in our fruity 'blue' category, with sweet, lush notes of cherry juice, brown sugar, and papaya.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe think this improvement is a testament to the great work of the Banka farmers and the relationship that our friends at Indochina Importers have built with them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis coffee comes from the Banka farm and nearby villages. Banka was developed by Mr. Hu, a Yunnan native who has been producing coffee in Menglian county for almost 20 years. He was one of the first farmers to engage in large-scale coffee production in the area, and he employs hundreds of harvesters from various ethnic groups across his farms each year. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2018, Yunnan Coffee Traders took over the Banka wet mill and a portion of the Banka farm (about 100 hectares of land). They installed one of the region’s first optical sorters and have been experimenting with processing methods such as yeast fermentation and new varieties such as Pacamara and Yellow Bourbon. This Catimor variety is hand-harvested, put through an optical sorter to select only the ripest cherries, fermented in a tank for about two days, then dried on raised beds.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYCT has three important goals: to create opportunities for Yunnan farmers to engage in sustainable production practices; to use industry best-practices for sourcing, processing, wholesaling, and exporting coffees; and to supply coffee to importers and roasters who care about sustainability, traceability, and transparency. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1350\u003cbr\u003eVarietal: Catimor\u003cbr\u003eCup score: 87\u003cbr\u003ePrice paid per kg: £13.50\u003cbr\u003eProcess: Optical colour sorted, \u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003enaturally \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eprocessed, patio dried\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"China","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":40355275898998,"sku":"","price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":41466039631990,"sku":"","price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56385045463426,"sku":null,"price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":40355275931766,"sku":"","price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56311553753474,"sku":null,"price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":40355275964534,"sku":"","price":46.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":41466039664758,"sku":"","price":46.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56385045496194,"sku":null,"price":46.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":40355275997302,"sku":"","price":46.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56311553786242,"sku":null,"price":46.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/YCT-BankaFarms-1-2_B.jpg?v=1763216505"},{"product_id":"el-salvador-noruega-maragogipe-anaerobic","title":"El Salvador Noruega Pacamara","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis fruity-floral Pacamara is a delightful treat from our friends at Finca Noruega, source of our epic Marogogype lot from last year. It's got delicate notes of watermelon, rose, and fruity chocolate, and is only available as a special release for the holiday season. We hope every sip will soothe you with its gentle sweetness!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinca Noruega is a plot within a larger farm (Finca Los Naranjos) where the coffee is grown in a shade-managed forest. The farmers refer to this type of farming as \"coffee forest\", with all coffee grown in well-regulated shade that comes from native species of shade trees – in particular 'ingas', many species of which produce giant, sweet, podded beans that look and taste like something between candy floss and vanilla ice cream. Like most beans, ingas are nitrogen-fixing, which is great for the soil. The bean plants are also good at producing oxygen and capturing carbon. They help facilitate an overall healthy microclimate by absorbing loads of water during the rainy season, which helps stop the coffee from getting overly wet (leading to fungus), and they release moisture during the dryer and hotter parts of the year, reducing soil and plant temperature by as much as 25%. They also act as a windbreak for the farms, which further protects any plants, particularly those with weaker tap roots, that are potentially liable to topple in windy weather. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinca Noruega consists of 43 manzanas planted with a range of varieties from bourbon to geisha in the Ahuachapán mountain range, west of El Salvador. This farm is part of the Los Naranjos group headed by Sigfredo Corado, a retired professor of agronomy from the National School of Agriculture. It's also part of the Renacer Program, a technical coffee field school for producers in the area to learn about better farm management practices. This program is funded by Raices (Roots) and supported by Catholic Relief Services in El Salvador.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRenacer Program is led by Sigfredo and 6 field technicians; they help small to medium producers in the area by training in best farm practises that are restorative for the land and soil, as well as beneficial for the yield and quality of the coffee. The field school is based at Finca Noruega, where classes are held twice a month. As of 2021, they have 60 students who work on the test plots where they can implement the knowledge gained in class before applying it to their own farms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis lot is made up solely of pacamara that was selectively picked before being taken to the wet mill and drying beds at Beneficio San Rafael.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe sourced this coffee via our amazing coffee importing friends at Falcon. Falcon also assisted with organised training in El Salvador in conjunction with Catholic Relief Services by sending the head of their Microlot program, Carlos Estevez from the Aruco Cooperative in Honduras, for a week of training. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1450-1700 Meters above Sea Level\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVarietal: Pacamara\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur cup score: 87\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrice paid per kg: £11.94\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProcess: 72 hr anaerobic natural\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"El Salvador","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":56090242843010,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":56090242875778,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for espresso (fine)","offer_id":56090242908546,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":56090242941314,"sku":null,"price":41.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":56090242974082,"sku":null,"price":41.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for espresso (fine)","offer_id":56090243006850,"sku":null,"price":41.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/LasNaranjas.jpg?v=1727357088"},{"product_id":"indonesia-kerinci-natural-copy","title":"Indonesia Kerinci Natural","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWe're so happy to be bringing back this tasty Indonesian natural! It's from the Koerintji Barokah Bersama Cooperative located in Kerinci, Sumatra, and has lovely juicy notes of strawberry along with dark rum and cacao. Fruity and a lil boozy. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Cooperative has 320 members who live and work on a plateau at the foot of Mount Kerinci, one of 452 volcanoes that make up the \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ring_of_Fire\"\u003ePacific Ring of Fire.\u003c\/a\u003e The frequent eruptions make for incredibly fertile volcanic soil, and the growing area is beautiful, lush, and extremely biodiverse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAbout 50% of the land in the Kerinci region is part of the Kerinci Seblat National Park, so agricultural activity is quite restricted and expansion is limited. However, this has led to some amazing innovations in terms of sustainability and processing. One example is the 'Payment for Ecosystem Services' (PES) in conjunction with Sucafina (our coffee importer) and Rikolto. PES has initiated several projects, most notably a big compost facility where the co-op can make its own organic compost to sell and use on its farms, and training on how to intercrop avocados for shade. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRikolto is an NGO that has done a lot of work in the region. In Kerinci, they calculated that many farmers were falling short of making incomes that afforded them comfortable lives. Projects like PES marry financial and ecological interests, so we're excited to be able to support them whilst benefiting from delicious coffee. Here is a \u003ca data-mce-fragment=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/891065107\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003elink\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e to a video showing more about the project and their important work. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1400-1700 Meters Above Sea Level\u003cbr\u003eVarietal: Andung Sari, Sigarar Utang\u003cbr\u003eCup score: 87.5\u003cbr\u003ePrice paid per kg: £9.67\u003cbr\u003eProcess: Anaerobic natural process\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Indonesia","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":53363152191874,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":53363212550530,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":53363152224642,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56311546610050,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":53363152257410,"sku":null,"price":36.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":53363212583298,"sku":null,"price":36.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":53363152290178,"sku":null,"price":36.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56311546642818,"sku":null,"price":36.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/MG_4322_1.jpg?v=1709903641"},{"product_id":"ethiopia-guji-natural-decaf","title":"Ethiopia Bette Buna Washed Decaf","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVery proudly announcing: Our second round of decaf from our best friends at Bette Buna, and it's a truly special decaf for all you night owls out there. With a juicy, nuanced profile of soft berries, citrus, and toffee, it's delicious on its own or in a milky drink. This coffee is from our favourite Ethiopian coffee producers, Bette Buna, who not only grow exquisite coffee but also provide countless opportunities for people in their communities.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe decaffeinated this coffee in partnership with our friends at Falcon Coffee, who did incredible work supporting Bette Buna this year. They took half of this coffee, and we took the other half to split the risk of doing a decaf run.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBetta Buna was founded by partners Hester Westerveld-Syoum and Dawit Syoum when they inherited their grandfather’s tiny family farm in Taferi Kela, Sidamo. With a background in NGO and development work, they decided to grow and scale the farm as the foundation for a larger company with greater impact. Coffee is a big deal in Ethiopia: More than 33% of the country's GDP comes from the export of coffee and 80% of that production comes from smallholder farms under 2 hectares, even as 90% of people working in coffee in Ethiopia don’t make a livable income. Bette Buna was formed to meet the obvious need to improve outcomes for smallholders and to generate opportunities for farming communities along the way. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHaving started in 2019, they have already grown considerably. They have expanded the Taferi Kela farm from 2 to 50 hectares and have spread to a second 50-hectare farm in Megadu, Guji, where this lot was grown. Both farms have tree nurseries where varietals are grown for their own use as well as to share with surrounding farmers. Similarly, they have facilities where they process their own lots and educate other farmers in processing techniques while their ‘Coffee Campus’ programme provides training in roasting, brewing, and even exporting. Essentially, they invest in their farming communities not only by teaching and motivating farmers but also by hiring local workers at their nurseries and mills, including single mothers and disabled people who would struggle to find employment elsewhere. They also work hard to incorporate sustainable farming methods, rewild forests on their land, and protect local wildlife to promote ecosystem health for coming generations. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWe’re such big fans that we sent Micah and Tabitha to help and learn from them for a couple weeks this January. You can read more about their experience in a recent blog post \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/skylark.coffee\/blogs\/news\/weve-never-seen-ethiopia-like-this\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ehere\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo process this lot, cherries were fully washed, then sun-dried on raised beds for 3.5 weeks to naturally enhance their complexity and sweetness. They were then decaffeinated using the Ethyl Acetate process, a natural and environmentally friendly decaffeination technique. To achieve this technique, green coffee beans are steamed to open their pores, making it easier for caffeine to be extracted. \u003c\/span\u003eThe beans are then washed with ethyl acetate, a naturally occuring compound found in fruit, which selectively binds to caffeine molecules. Ethyl acetate is able to dissolve caffeine without significantly affecting the flavor compounds in the coffee. After the caffeine has been removed, the beans are steamed again to remove any residual ethyl acetate. Finally, the coffee is dried and prepared for roasting.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbove: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eSisay Tadesse and Hester Westerveld-Syoum\u003cbr\u003eBelow left: Sisay Tadesse standing next to anaerobic fermentation barrels\u003cbr\u003eBelow right: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eDawit Syoum harvesting ripe coffee cherries\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1,998-2,200 MASL\u003cbr\u003eVarietal: Enat Buna \u0026amp; 74412\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCup score: 85.5\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrice paid per kg: £10.30\u003cbr\u003eProcess: Washed and EA Decaf\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ethiopia","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55065759973762,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":55065760039298,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56385101988226,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":55065760006530,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56218472055170,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55065760072066,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":55065760137602,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56385102020994,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":55065760104834,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56218472087938,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/image0.jpg?v=1756307253"},{"product_id":"costa-rica-aquiares-mariana","title":"Costa Rica Aquiares Mariana Natural","description":"\u003cp\u003eCosta Rican coffees (and Central American coffees in general) can represent a lot of problematic things about the coffee supply chain: For example, many farms in Central America are owned by wealthy Westerners who have access to capital and marketing that allows them to sell their coffees at prices that indigenous people could never achieve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis coffee is different, and it represents the sort of de-colonisation of the coffee supply chain that we want to support. Aquiares is a Costa Rican legacy farm, and they've set an absolute gold standard in how they treat people and the planet. The way they increase biodiversity, capture carbon, and care for both Costa Rican and migrant workers is a testament to how coffee CAN change people's lives. In fact, Diego Robelo is more like a town mayor than a coffee farmer, and our colleague Will recently visited to write about \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/skylark.coffee\/blogs\/news\/aquiares-not-just-a-costa-rican-coffee-farm\"\u003ethis expansive community\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAquiares also produces delicious, consistent coffees. This is one of their more special lots — a Mariana varietal with sweet, juicy notes of raspberry mousse and coffee pulp. Mariana is a relatively new hybrid varietal and a great example of how coffee farmers today experiment with a wide range of coffee plants to find those that work best in their region as climate change affects traditional growing methods and plant choices. You can also try their equally tasty Esperanza varietal \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.skylark.coffee\/collections\/coffee\/products\/costa-rica-aquiares-esperanza\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe've bought coffee from Aquiares since our first year at Skylark, but we've been delighted to partner with them more fully since 2025 and plan to continue for the foreseeable future. We plan to have at least one of their coffees on offer year-round to support the amazing work they do. Check out more of their story by reading below:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAquiares, one of Costa Rica’s largest and most historic coffee farms, sits high on the fertile slopes of Turrialba volcano. Producing coffee continuously for over a century, the farm has developed an enduring model for growing high-quality Arabica coffee, protecting a stunning natural setting, and supporting a thriving local community of 1,800 people. Established by British farmers in 1890, Aquiares was one of the first estates to produce and export Costa Rican coffee. In 1971, the farm was purchased by its current owners, three families who have worked together with the farm's staff and community to implement a modern model of sustainable agriculture. Don Alfonso took over farm management in 1992, and at the time he was new(ish) to coffee. However, one thread throughout his life has been a commitment to social justice. From the beginning, Don Alfonso made the social welfare of farm workers and the wider community one of his main priorities. His dedication has transformed the farm and the region. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe community of Aquiares, originally created to house workers on the estate, sits in the midst of the farm. When it was built, the farm owned the houses where employees lived, creating home insecurity amongst working families. In 1992, under Don Alfonso’s management, the farm started a project to enable people to own their own houses. Each worker received a bonus for his or her years of service, housing plots were priced at a fraction of the local rate, and workers received assistance to apply for the government house fund. In the beginning, this seemed too good to be true, but as the first families obtained their own homes everyone else followed suit. In a matter of three years, the town was brought to life, enriched by security and achievement. Today, only around 15% of Aquiares residents work on the farm (many have gone on to become schoolteachers, doctors, etc.) and 96% of these own their own home, giving them options for the future that they themselves can choose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll Aquiares coffee is picked by hand to ensure consistent high quality. Microlots such as this one are picked by a special team of expert harvesters who are paid well above the daily rate for their exceptional skills. Each tree is visited up to seven times during the harvest to ensure that only fully red ripe cherries are picked. The pickers represent the farm’s most valuable asset. They hail from the community of Aquiares, nearby towns, and even from the neighbouring country of Nicaragua. The farm ensures that all workers have a safe work environment and a comfortable place to live. Workers coming from further away can live in on-site housing and use a children’s daycare. The farm sponsors doctors’ visits for pickers and their families twice a week where nutritional health advice is also given. To take better care of its field workers, Aquiares has established first-of-its-kind physical therapy sessions and also a daily warm-up routine of exercise before work. Many pickers return each year, confirming the success of the model.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAquiares is strongly committed to and has become an international leader in environmental sustainability. The farm has long seen the connection between agricultural, environmental, and social health. By planting more than 50,000 shade trees, creating natural buffers around streams and water springs, preserving the river valleys as forests, planting along the contour lines, implementing integrated pest management systems, and many other steps, Aquiares has demonstrated how to make ecological ideals a reality. For example, since soil health is the most important factor for a successful farm, Aquiares takes many steps to naturally improve the farm’s volcanic soil. The organic matter from pruning and the leaf litter from the coffee and shade trees are left to feed soil microbes and provide organic nutrients. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe diversified shade trees (over 40 species) also cool the ground, slowing the ripening of the coffee, which allows for sugars from the mucilage to be fully absorbed by the bean, thus improving cup quality. The farm’s agricultural objective is to find synergies like these, where environmental health translates into coffee plant health, which ultimately contributes to long-term stability in the production of high-quality coffee. The farm’s terrain varies from gently sloping to steep hills. Valleys between hills create microclimates that are ideal for growing mainly Caturra and grafted Arabica-Nemaya varieties. Although Aquiares is considered large by Central American standards, the farm aims to tend to every individual coffee plant’s needs. Therefore, Aquiares utilizes a system of pruning each plant on its own, instead of pruning by row or by lot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough an intensive rehabilitation program, Aquiares has re-planted more than 400,000 coffee trees in small patches of existing fields. This rejuvenated the crop of trees and increased the land’s utilization. It also played a crucial role in the 2012 rust attack, as young plants resisted the disease better, slowing its spread. Stringent environmental stewardship enabled the farm to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification in 2003. In 2012, Aquiares became the first farm in Costa Rica to fulfill the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance Climate Module. This requires adhering to careful standards of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, which are meticulously tracked through each harvest season. This certification demonstrates that the farm’s low emissions do not meaningfully contribute to climate change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can read more about life at Aquiares \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/skylark.coffee\/blogs\/news\/aquiares-not-just-a-costa-rican-coffee-farm\"\u003eright here\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElevation: 1200 Meters Above Sea Level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVarietal: Mariana\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCup score: 87\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrice paid per kg: £12.70\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProcess: Natural\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Costa Rica","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55584859455874,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":55584859488642,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56801561477506,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":55584859521410,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56801561510274,"sku":null,"price":13.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55584859554178,"sku":null,"price":44.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":55584859586946,"sku":null,"price":44.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56801561543042,"sku":null,"price":44.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":55584859619714,"sku":null,"price":44.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56801561575810,"sku":null,"price":44.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/Aquiares_Estate_-_Ally_Coffee_11.jpg?v=1762275010"},{"product_id":"india-sirangalli-carbonic","title":"India Sirangalli Carbonic","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/skylark.coffee\/blogs\/news\/kerehaklu\" target=\"_blank\"\u003evisiting\u003c\/a\u003e South India in late 2023, our buyer Will has been fascinated by the region and its wonderful coffees that are often overlooked by the specialty industry. This year, our friend and collaborator Lionel Crasto connected us with South India Coffee Company and pointed out what a good fit the Sirangalli community lots would be for Skylark. They have amazing sustainability credentials and people-centred projects ... plus their coffee is delicious. We're hoping to buy more of this coffee next year as part of an ongoing relationship with SICC and Sirangalli.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis excellent lot has juicy notes of golden rum, mango, and papaya. It's boozy and sweet thanks to its carbonic maceration processing method, which you can read more about below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSICC began their Sirangalli journey in 2021 by partnering with five smallholder farms nestled in the Pushpagiri Range of Karnataka, India — home to both Arabica and Robusta coffees as well as native crops like peppercorn, citrus fruits, and cardamom. The Sirangalli Community Project has now grown to include more than eight farms, ranging in size from one to 10 acres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis initiative is part of SICC’s long-term vision to promote sustainable coffee farming by working directly with small coffee growers in the region. Most of these farms are family-run, with farmers and their families actively managing every aspect of cultivation and post-harvest processing. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLocated in the Western Ghats, the Pushpagiri (also known as Subramanya Hills or Kumaraparvatha) is the second-highest peak in Kodagu and the fourth highest in Karnataka. This region is part of a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot, home to more than 5,000 species of flowering plants, 139 species of mammals, 508 species of birds, and 179 species of amphibians. At least 325 globally threatened species are found here. The range spans 60,000 square kilometers and forms the catchment for river systems that support nearly 40% of India’s water flow, making it a vital ecological zone for both people and nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFarms in the village of Sirangalli range from one to eight acres; they are shade-grown farms, thriving in rich agroforestry ecosystems. The shade canopy is made up of native jungle trees and fruit-bearing trees. This multi-tiered structure supports biodiversity, enhances soil health, and contributes to the unique flavor profile of the coffees.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo create this lot, only the ripest cherries were carefully hand-picked to ensure optimal sugar content for clean and expressive fermentation. Right after harvest, the cherries were placed in a siphon to sort out any floaters. Next, the cherries were moved into sealed tanks where they were inoculated with a custom culture to create a controlled carbonic maceration environment. They were fermented for 60 hours. After fermentation, cherries were laid out on raised drying beds inside a polyhouse to protect them from rain and excessive heat. They were dried slowly over the course of 10-12 days, raked regularly to ensure even drying. Once the cherries reached a stable moisture level of 11-12% they were finally ready for safe storage and transport — this moisture level is ideal for preserving a clean cup profile without facilitating the growth of mold. The dried coffee was then packed in jute bags and stored for a minimum of two months before hulling. This resting period allows the internal moisture to equalize and flavour notes to stabilize. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1400 Meters above Sea Level\u003cbr\u003eVarietal: Chandragiri\u003cbr\u003eCup score: 87.75\u003cbr\u003ePrice paid per kg: £12.15\u003cbr\u003eProcess: Carbonic Maceration Natural\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"India","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55721195340162,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for espresso (fine)","offer_id":55721195372930,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for filter (coarse)","offer_id":55721195405698,"sku":null,"price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55721195438466,"sku":null,"price":41.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for espresso (fine)","offer_id":55721195471234,"sku":null,"price":41.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for filter (coarse)","offer_id":55721195504002,"sku":null,"price":41.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/DSC_0737.jpg?v=1758816495"},{"product_id":"costa-rica-roble-negro-natural","title":"Costa Rica Roble Negro Natural","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the second coffee we're offering this year from Roble Negro, the inspiring conservationist producer and partner at Paso Paso, a farmer-owned roastery. The \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/skylark.coffee\/collections\/coffee\/products\/costa-rica-roble-negro-washed\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003efirst one\u003c\/a\u003e has a classic, chocolatey profile. \u003cem\u003eThis\u003c\/em\u003e gorgeous lot brings on the jams! Bursting with juicy notes of raspberry and lychee alongside the sweet booziness of mead, it's the perfect treat to brighten up this time of year ... or maybe fuel a stress-reducing dance party? We'll leave that up to you. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoble Negro is owned by Jorge Vasquez and his niece and nephew Dani and Alex. To them, coffee trees help support their core focus of conserving the rainforest, not the other way around. You can read about this incredible project in \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/skylark.coffee\/blogs\/news\/arranging-the-orchids-at-roble-negro\"\u003eWill's dispatch\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRoble Negro coffee is processed at Jorge Vasquéz’s micromill. The mill and his coffee farm, Finca Cedral Alto, are located in the town of Aserrí in Costa Rica’s Tarrazú region, about 45 minutes outside the capital of San José. The name Roble Negro means “black oak” and Cedral Alto means “high cedar grove”. These names indicate the importance of environmental preservation to Jorge and his coffee production team. The farm is filled with natural springs and freshwater sources, which the forested areas protect and keep clean, and which is situated at the transition between the Pacific side of the country and the Central Valley region, spanning 1750 to 2000 meters above sea level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJorge grew up playing football with his cousins on the farms around Aserrí where their parents worked picking coffee. He graduated from college with a degree in accounting and worked for Costa Rica’s Banco Nacional for 21 years, serving as branch manager for his last 11 years there. Jorge now owns a recycling company, Compañía de Reciclaje Ecológico, which he founded in response to the country’s pollution levels. The recycling company is an extension of his belief in taking care of the natural world around him. Compañía de Reciclaje Ecológico has 14 employees, creates another 20 indirect jobs, and annually processes 2,000 tonnes of materials like cardboard, paper, wood, plastics, metals, and more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJorge bought Finca El Cedral in 2007 from Don Fernando Monge. One of Jorge’s first concerns for El Cedral Alto was to protect the six water sources on the property. The waterways form the beginning of the Rio Jorco River and serve as drinking water aquifers for the nearby towns of Cedral Abajo, Vuelta de Jorco, and Acosta, as well as acting as irrigation sources for surrounding farms. The farm is dotted with stunning waterfalls thanks to these water sources — a reminder of the importance and power of fresh water to people, flora, fauna, and agriculture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCedral Alto also contains fruit trees planted between the coffee plants (including orange, peach, sweet lemon, plantain, soursop, and avocado) which provide for both people and animals. The farm cultivates Red and Yellow Catuai and has a nursery of Criollo seedlings collected from trees that survived from more than 50 years ago when that was the primary cultivated variety. New seedlings are planted at the beginning of the rainy season and require extensive care for about a year as their root systems form and they develop foliage for the transition from the nursery to the open field. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn line with Jorge’s commitment to sustainability, Roble Negro removes all weeds by hand and is completely chemical-free. Instead, they use microorganisms harvested from the humus layer of the forest floor to create non-toxic applications to control insects and natural diseases like leaf rust and to facilitate nutrient absorption. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJorge’s Roble Negro micromill is known for its high-quality standards and thoughtful sustainability practices. Operations at the mill aim to reduce the use of non-renewable resources like water and electricity, repurpose waste products into natural fertilizers, and even ensure that the GrainPro used for packing and shipping coffee is reused or recycled by the mill’s global partners.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1874 MASL\u003cbr\u003eVarietal: Catuai\u003cbr\u003eCup score: 88\u003cbr\u003ePrice paid per kg: £9.90\u003cbr\u003eProcess: Natural\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Costa Rica","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55902995022210,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":55902995087746,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":56381788782978,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56141637124482,"sku":null,"price":11.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":55902995120514,"sku":null,"price":36.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":55902995186050,"sku":null,"price":36.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":56381788815746,"sku":null,"price":36.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56141637157250,"sku":null,"price":36.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/1_xpNuOFJ2xa3K0MJ8lajdsA.jpg?v=1761926141"},{"product_id":"misfits-uganda-coffee-gardens-drugar-natural","title":"'Misfits' Uganda Drugar Natural","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a coffee you wouldn’t usually see in a specialty roaster’s list: Drugar is short for Dried Uganda Arabica. This is a home-dried coffee that normally sells on the internal market in Uganda because it’s not considered worthy of export. Unlike Ethiopia, the internal market in Uganda doesn’t pay particularly well for coffee, so producing exportable coffee creates a massive income difference for farmers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur friends Dana, Shak, and Michael at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thecoffeegardens.com\/\"\u003eThe Coffee Gardens\u003c\/a\u003e do amazing social work, and they saw an opportunity to raise incomes for farmers by collecting and sorting some of the Drugar, blending it with some of their rejects, and elevating it to exportable quality while paying a premium. It was quite a delicious cup just as they sent it to us, but with the added advantage of our colour sorter to clean it up even further, this coffee becomes truly beautiful. We bought the entire lot of 37 sacks. This is a rare case where the old specialty coffee story of 'helping a farmer improve quality so they make more money' is actually true. This coffee now tastes like rum punch and cherry Kool-Aid: an inflation-beating juice bomb. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Coffee Gardens was established in 2017 with the goal of producing incredible specialty coffees in an ethical way, offering a transparent and direct link between coffee farmers and coffee consumers. The project was established for many purposes: to improve farmers’ income and livelihoods, create and provide rural employment, promote gender equality, increase transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain, promote and work on environmental protection in the area, and provide training in good agricultural practices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eElevation: 1400-2300 Metres Above Sea Level\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVarietal: SL14, SL28, Nyasaland\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCup Score: 87\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrice paid per kilo: £7\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProcess: Fully natural, home-dried by coffee-growing smallholders\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Uganda","offers":[{"title":"250g \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":56846497677698,"sku":null,"price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":56846497710466,"sku":null,"price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56846497743234,"sku":null,"price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":56846497776002,"sku":null,"price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"250g \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56846497808770,"sku":null,"price":9.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Whole Bean","offer_id":56846497841538,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Espresso (fine)","offer_id":56846497874306,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Aeropress (medium fine)","offer_id":56846497907074,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Filter (medium coarse)","offer_id":56846497939842,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"1kg \/ Ground for Cafetière (coarse)","offer_id":56846497972610,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/files\/DSC01904.jpg?v=1786702421"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0274\/9566\/1686\/collections\/IMG_20180109_113238_723.jpg?v=1685529482","url":"https:\/\/www.skylark.coffee\/collections\/fruity-coffees.oembed","provider":"Skylark Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}