Farmers - Mexico, Hacienda Miravalles

The Farm

Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico is the home of Hacienda Miravalles located in Composetela, Nayarit. The farm sits in the highlands of the Sierra Madre mountain range in Mexico and the coffee grows on the steep mountain slopes at elevations of 4000 feet. The farm itself is 1500 acres and harvests coffee between January and April.

There is an abundant and diverse shade canopy throughout the farm which is described by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center as truly "Bird Friendly". The farm provides a perfect habitat for birds, insects, and wildlife while still producing arabica beans of the highest quality. Coffee was introduced into their operation early in 1940, by the Flores family, and is now a third generation coffee farm.

As a result of their investment throughout the years, what was once a single farm has now become a thriving coffee community. The family, recognized as business and social leaders in this region, introduced environmentally safe water filtering systems for their farm to keep any contaminated waters from entering surrounding streams and rivers. To benefit their workers, they have also donated land and materials for the construction of a school, church and a community plaza.

Their social consciences have also led the Flores family to provide medical benefits for all their workers, along with providing housing and garden areas for the full-time workers. Farm workers living off of the farm receive special benefits to allow them to buy homes. The family's firm commitment to organic farming practices led them to become certified members with the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) in 1996 and Quality Assurance International in 1997. Hacienda Miravalles' strongest asset is its long term commitment to the community, the environment and coffee.

The Coffee

The Hacienda Miravalles coffee involves an extremely well-processed European preparation technique and is milled with the latest electronic technology available. This preparation enables a more consistent quality in the process, and a more consistent quality of coffee in your cup. The variety of coffees this estate produces are Arabica, Typica, and Bourbon. This is a high grown coffee, but because of the hot climate the coffee matures quickly, giving it characteristics that are unique and not typical of a high grown coffee bean. This coffee has medium body, mild acidity, and a mild nutty taste with a clean finish. It is also available in SWISS WATER® Process Decaf. This great coffee offers versatility for the value.

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