Connections @ Origin

As we build community, we maximize our impact by focusing our efforts on one coffee origin, Monteverde, Costa Rica. This long-standing Artifx Origin Community relationship is fundamental to our business.

Two men smiling amongst coffee plants on a sunny day

How we connect

We don’t purchase coffee on commodity market prices, we purchase based on a deep relationship with the farmers and their community. We work to understand the best form of engagement to support sustainable development in that unique community.

Why This Community?

  1. High‐quality coffee with distinctive flavor characteristics.
  2. Strong cohesiveness among the local community of coffee farmers.
  3. Framework through which to invest in development projects.
  4. Connection to local culture.

Sustaining Local Communities

Artifx Origin Coffees are the centerpiece of our business. These single-origin, direct-trade coffees are produced by small farmers with a deep commitment to sustaining their local communities. In addition to our direct coffee purchases, we support these people and places by investing profits into local development projects in our Artifx Origin Communities. Additionally, we are excited to be a conduit for interaction and mutual learning among our partner communities.

Monteverde is a community with a rich history in agriculture, though it is most widely known as a pioneer in global ecotourism. First settled in the early 1900s, it sits atop the continental divide, along the volcanic Tilaran Mountain Range of Costa Rica. The moist Trade Winds blow westwards off the Caribbean Sea and condense into cloud as they climb to over six thousand feet above sea level. These wind‐borne clouds give rise to a unique ecosystem, the tropical cloud forest. Today, the cloud forest plays a major role in the community, hosting significant biological research and conservation activities and providing a rich habitat for wildlife, as Monteverde manages the delicate balance among conservation, agriculture and tourism.

Our Coffee Partners: Life Monteverde

Our Monteverde coffees come from Life Monteverde, a family‐owned farm which supports the work of smaller farms throughout the district. Stepping into a void left after the failure of a local cooperative, this group exemplifies the commitment to sustainable community development that will be a signature of all our Artifx Origin Partners.

Artwork

Our Monteverde coffees are paired with artistic works by the multi‐talented Ana Ovares. A Monteverde native, Ana works in various media including ceramics and mosaic and has been commissioned to craft significant pieces across Costa Rica and beyond. Scroll down to see the full artworks we sampled. For more details on Ana Ovares and her work, please visit http://www.artesanamonteverde.com.

Community Impact

To contribute to the development of the Monteverde community, we are proud to partner with the Monteverde Community Fund. This philanthropic organization supports local projects through small grants, provides technical assistance for the development of larger, high-impact projects and facilitates local opportunities for networking and peer-to- peer learning.