

Erin Moreno
The Moreno family have been growing excellent quality coffee for years. Erin’s father Pedro was one of the first producers to enter the specialty coffee market in Santa Barbara, founding the coffee industry in the town of El Cedral, where the family is still based. Pedro still works on the farms occasionally, even at 90 years old.
Erin inherited this plot of the farm from Pedro, initially planted with Catimor. Like many in the area, Erin now mainly grows Parainema, but also has a small plot of Pacas further from El Cedral. This is the first time we have purchased from that plot. Erin uses the same anaerobic pre-fermentation protocol as for his Parainema, cherries are sealed in plastic bags for 48 hours, kick starting fermentation, pushing for the generation of lactic acid bacteria. From here, a more traditional washed protocol was followed, de-pulped, fermented in tanks for 18 hours, then washed with clean water several times before drying.
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This leads to a deep and lush fruit profile, with notes of ripe and blackberry and blueberry balanced by a rich brown sugar sweetness.
El Cedral
We’ve visited Erin and his family in El Cedral several times. He explained his decisions in farming, having stopped using pesticides and chemical fertilisers around 10 years ago, like many in the area. This year, a major struggle was finding labour to help with farm tasks. Many young people have left the area to find better opportunities, especially after a 2020 hurricane wrought havoc on several communities in Santa Barbara. Even Erin’s son has moved to the US, sending money home from his job as a truck driver. We purchased all of the Parainema that Erin produced this year, and we hope to expand our relationship in the coming years.
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