Allan Oviedo is a third-generation coffee farmer from the West Valley of Costa Rica. Around 20 years ago, Allan inherited his portion of the family land from his father, Joel Oviedo. The farm was divided into two, with half going to Allan and the other half to Joel’s brother—Allan’s uncle. In the early years, Allan sold his coffee cherry to a local mill at a very low market price. Determined to improve the quality of life for his family, he began implementing significant changes on the farm. His goal was ambitious: to process his own coffee and build a micromill. That dream became a reality when he established his mill and named it 'Don Joel' in honor of his late father. Today, Allan processes coffee from his two family farms as well as from neighboring producers. Once fully dried, the husk is removed at the dry mill. In the past years, we have featured coffee from his mill that was processed using the White Honey method. This indicates a small amount of mucilage was left intact during the drying process, producing a silky-syrupy profile. This year's lot, however, is processed using the Natural method, where the whole coffee cherries are dried with the seed intact. This method produces distinctive winy and wild flavor characteristics. With a strong focus on quality, Allan has invested heavily in his farm and processing infrastructure. His dedication has earned him multiple awards in the Costa Rican Cup of Excellence from 2017 through this year. This success has enabled him to continue expanding his micromill operations, including purchasing the remaining portion of his father’s land from his uncle. With the reunited farm, Allan has planted additional Villa Sarchi, Typica, and SL28 varieties of coffee trees. We are honored to have featured Allan Oviedo’s coffee every year since 2023, when it was first used as a component in our 18th Anniversary Blend.
