Nicaragua Finca Los Papales Pacamara Natural

The Process

Victor Lopez studies agronomy in the Zamorano University in Honduras. Ask him any question about how he manages the fertilisation and health of the trees and the answer rolls off his tongue like an inspired professor. While he is young and just had his first child, his experience in managing the production through testing the leaves’ nutritional levels multiple times per year is impressive to say the least. Los Papales follow a strict picking process allowing them to achieve a 94% harvest selection of ripe cherries. This has been achieved after persistently training their pickers for many harvests. This process is supported by the good working conditions and employee benefits on the farm which allow Los Papales to retain a high percentage of its trained pickers every season.

Every day at 5 am, pickers go up to the farm to start their daily activities. Around 4 pm they gather together at designated locations to weigh their day’s picking and then load a truck that will drive cherries back to the farm’s wet mill. Cherries are brought to the 4-level raised beds where they are checked again to remove any remaining immature or over-ripe cherries. These cherries are spread in a 2-inch layer and left to dry to a humidity of 11%, after which they are bagged in Grainpro liners for a minimum rest of 21 days.