Coffee beans from Paradise Organics have just arrived. I love when we get freshly roasted beans. The whole process is wonderful: the ordering and selection of roasting and process; the drive across the dusty jungle to retrieve them; the ceremonial unpacking of the black kilo bags on the blue tiled coffee bar at D Evan Surf Shop.
Working with these coffee farmers is such a surprising joy. Supporting the local coffee farmer in the Central Valley of Costa Rica and their accompanying workers by purchasing beans directly from the supplier is a conscious practice in sustainable sourcing and supporting local small business.
In the modern age of fast and faceless transaction it is a rare opportunity to engage with a businesses and a product so intimately. Working with coffee growers provides a unique opportunity to learn about the complex agricultural process employed to farm and cultivate this rich and popular fruit. There is so much to learn.
Living and working here in Costa Rica we are close to the farms. Close to the
source. The culture of coffee and farm and labor and toil is widely apparent here. From the rolling cow pastures to the hillside plantations, the people of this country take pride in their small piece of nature and earth. They are not the most educated or fortunate or wealthy; their infrastructure is weak; their economy is simple; their technology remains mostly rutted in the 20th century; but their connection to crop and dirt and seasons and rainwater and sunshine and tides is unpretentious and authentic. They are of this land. Of their small towns and farms and pueblos and plazas. They have been blessed with the soil and altitude to harvest this globally recognized fruit tree, and the coffee bean here represents purpose and identity, commerce and tradition.
Paradise Organics is one of two coffee farms that I regularly order from for the coffee bar at D Evan Surf Shop. We are a small surf and coffee shop in Marbella, a sparsely populated town on the North Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Selecting a bean to serve at the coffee bar for our loyal clients is an important decision and responsibility. All people deserve good coffee.
At the shop we have maintained a firm commitment to surfboard quality since we opened our doors in 2022. The surfboard shaping and production portion of the business with D Evan Surfboards was established in 2010. From the jump we made the decision to fabricate and carry only the highest level of surfboards and accessories. The coffee had to adequately represent that same ethos.
Early in our retail conception close friends suggested I add coffee to the short list of items sold at the shop. Initially I was reluctant to carry and serve coffee. My focus for many years has been shaping surfboards, and the shop was originally conceived as a venue to display D Evan Surfboards, meet with my custom clients more readily, and supply local surfers with the minimum surfing requirements such as wax and leg leashes, not sold in the area. Focusing on this surf centric sales model was essential when we first opened.
This is my first traditional retail shop. Prioritizing the items I can purchase and carry and sell has been a learning curve. Surfboards are still made in the back of the shop, in my palatial shaping room….. but front of the house is a relatively ornate collection of merchandise and accessories, and carefully curating this new business experience was essential. Being able to maintain quality and vision while easing out of my initial lane required patience, often saying no to suggestions and impulses. While stocking an item can be relatively easy, selling and believing in that product can pose a myriad of challenges. So I’d hope to choose wisely and grow slowly.
As the shop settled into its second year, as systems became more identifiable and brand focus clearer, the timing was right to slowly expand into the coffee territory. First with a cadre of bare essentials that included a store bought bag of beans, a Bialleta Mocha espresso pot I borrowed from my girlfriend, and a hot plate. Over a brief time the drive to enhance our service and offer expanded preparation options was there, and we slowly grew our brewing options to include a pour over, a French press, an Affogato, along with the original Mocha espresso. With our delivery options multiplied yet still cozy, it was time to find the right farm to regularly supply us with beans.
Paradise Organics are located in the mountains of San Louis, just outside Monteverde, in Central Costa Rica. They are a biodynamic farm, which is rare here in Costa Rica. Biodynamic means that no chemicals or pesticides are used on any portion of the farm. There are no organic divisions. The whole farm is natural. The coffee is harder to grow, the soils is more unpredictable, and the production is lower. But the plants are clean, the product is wholly natural, and the harmful pesticides which are often employed at many farms in Costa Rica are avoided, providing an inherently healthier coffee bean and uniquely organic drinking experience.
By serving coffee from Paradise Organic I hope we are sending a message to our customers that we deeply care about how and where our products come from. Our associations say much about our own vision and brand philosophy. We are saying that our customers experience is important to us; the land is important to us; the farmer is important to us; and because of this we choose to serve a coffee that is biodynamic, free of chemicals, freshly roasted, Costa Rican grown, and tastes great.
Now the shop feels more whole. More collaborative. In this small town, nestled in this small country, we are afforded a rich array of locally grown products to selectively choose from. The entrepreneurial spirit is of necessity here, as people sell their handmade soaps and crafts at the farmers market; the local shops are sparse but one can find home made banana bread, locally pasteurized cheeses and freshly brewed kombucha. We make handmade surfboards here at the shop, and support the long culture of surfing by holding to the traditions of this sacred craft. The shop smells like coffee now. People drift in and out. We sample beans and chat waves and aqua dynamics. The jungle around us is always vibrating, and the waves continuously rise and fall along the black sand beaches just outside of town. An astute air of connectivity pervades, on the good days, when we get a fresh delivery of coffee beans, and the gifts of living amongst the rugged fixtures of this Costa Rican countryside are tangible and apparent.
