When Hacienda La Minita was founded in 1985 by Bill McAlpin, the goal was to create a coffee of the highest quality year-in and year-out. Since that time, Hacienda La Minita and our flagship coffee, La Minita, has become one of the world’s most prestigious coffees available. La Minita has become synonymous with the word quality.
With our La Minita Coffee sourcing program, we have taken our knowledge and expertise in growing our own coffee and applied it to other farms, not only in Costa Rica, but in many other countries throughout the world.
Quality CONTROL
While our quality control teams are based in Costa Rica, Colombia, and the United States. Annually, our staff visits each origin we work in to ensure that the quality of our coffees is consistent and maintained from crop-to-crop and year-to-year.
We divide the program into many parts, with each concentrating on different areas.
Concept. We do not trade in any coffee produced for the bulk market. We don't produce it or export it. We will not import anything but quality coffee into the United States.
Standards. Our standards are second to none. Everything we contract must pass our rigorous quality standards. If a coffee does not meet our standards, it does not go into our inventory. It is that simple. It is our goal to be recognized as the most reliable supplier of the best coffee, from a limited number of specific origins, which is imported into the United States.
Knowledge. We have many years of practical experience in producing, milling, and exporting our own Costa Rican coffee. Simply put, we know the ropes. We know where the great coffees are, who mills them, how to acquire them, and how to prepare them.
Familiarity. We know the mills and the people who manage them. This gives us an extraordinary advantage. When we order coffee from a mill, we are able to physically watch over every step that is taken in preparing a container of coffee.
Quality. When we contract a container, we condition our purchase upon the preparation of the coffee to our strict standards. We follow the coffee all the way through its preparation at the mill, and we cup the coffee at least three times: as soon as possible after harvest, when the mill begins preparation, and before we authorize shipment. If at any step the quality is unsatisfactory, the mill knows that we will reject it and that they will have to start over.
Reputation. We have an excellent working relationship within the global specialty coffee market, and specifically within local markets at every origin in which we work. This is very important to us, and an incredible source of pride.
Consistency. When a client buys a coffee from Hacienda La Minita, the quality of the next bag that is received will be the same as the one before. This holds true whether it is one bag or multiple containers. Wild swings in quality or cup can do a business considerable harm — but with La Minita, consistency is key.