La Picona is a family farm located in a region well known for the quality of its coffees: Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. There, Olga and Salatiel manage the farm alongside their son Samuel, who has taken over the management from generation to generation.

Talking about La Picona is doing so with special affection, since Nicaragua was the first coffee-growing country we visited back in 2010 and the Zavala family was the first to agree to develop experimentation in the coffee processes with us, achieving year after year an increase in the quality of their lots that has led them to be no less than winners of the Cup of Excellence on two occasions.

Following their latest award in 2021 for the batch called “Picona COE #2,” we wanted to ask Olga González and her son Samuel Zavala a few questions so they could tell us a little more about their coffees firsthand.

What's the history of La Picona and how many years have you been working on this property?

Olga: This farm was acquired in 2002 by the Zavala Gonzalez family, and it was all mountainous. We started working on 2 hectares of coffee in 2005. Since then, we've been gradually building up, and today we've reached 8 hectares of coffee, which is what we're currently working on.

What can you tell us about the “Picona COE #2” batch of the Maracaturra variety, winner of the 2021 Cup of Excellence?

Samuel: The “Picona COE #2” lot , winner of the 2021 Cup of Excellence, is a lot developed with a special recipe, based on the 'Honey Glory' recipe we developed in conjunction with Right Side Coffee many years ago. This lot was worked differently from its harvest, through its fermentation process, to its drying process. It was a lot that we thought would go very far—perhaps not as far as COE #2—but we had the good fortune and blessing of being able to achieve this place as a Presidential Coffee within the Cup of Excellence.

How did the 2012 rust (fungus) outbreak affect your crops? Has it had an impact on subsequent harvests?

Olga: The truth is that it was such a huge impact that it ultimately affected not only us and the community, but all of Nicaragua. The problem affected 70% of our yields, and it's a fungus that continues to harm our coffee plantations to this day.

What did it mean to your family to have your coffee recognized for winning the Cup of Excellence?

Olga: It wasn't just an award, but two achievements: the 2015 Cup of Excellence and the 2021 Cup of Excellence. We work together as a family, and for us, it's been an achievement knowing we have excellent coffees, so we'll keep striving to maintain the current quality. We believe the coffees we offer are the best in Spain and also in the world (laughs).

What do you think is the reason for the increased interest in higher-quality coffees on the market?

Samuel: Personally, I think the increased interest in specialty coffee is due to a culture, knowledge, and social responsibility. More and more people are learning about the origin of coffee and the effort producers make to produce quality coffee. Social responsibility is also a factor, as we're able to help the people and producers behind each project. And in terms of culture, because they're learning more about specialty coffee itself. I think that interest will continue to grow.

What has it been like for you to work closely with Right Side to create unique and experimental batches?

Samuel: Working hand in hand with Right Side has been a unique experience. We are deeply grateful to you for being one of the first companies to trust our product. You were the first company we worked with and developed experiments with, and it served as a foundation for all the fermentation experiments we do with our varieties today on our family farms.

What future prospects do you see for the “La Picona” estate?

Samuel - As a family, we have a fairly large vision for La Picona, but the challenges aren't easy. We face many adverse conditions, such as the weather: we're hit hard by wind, we've had problems with climate change, and the soils are very sandy, which makes it very difficult to produce on this farm, although we're positive.

We're planting more varieties besides Maracaturra, exotic varieties that can be offered to roasters like you in the coming years. We're also committed to a sustainable model between nature and coffee production, perhaps aiming to produce less than large quantities but still high-quality coffee. We're very happy and excited to see what's coming in the coming years.

At Right Side, we wish the Zavala family much success, as they are a model family farm with environmental values ​​and a focus on the quality of their coffees. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with them for many years to come. Our menu will feature La Picona's iconic lots, featuring our own experimental processes: Honey Glory and Natural Mystic, each season.

This year, the Zavala family wanted to share with us part of the “Picona COE #2” batch, winner of the 2021 Cup of Excellence, so we thought it was the perfect time to offer it to those subscribers of the October Experience Subscription for its complex profile full of nuances, fruit, and honey.