Deep inside Nicaragua, approximately 150km from its capital Mangua, sits the quiet town of Jinotega, made lively by the sudden bustle of coffee trucks arriving to collect the day's pickings as the sun sets. Through the town run cobbled streets rich with Spanish colonial architecture, and surrounding it rise the luscious subtropical mountains which are home to 80% of Nicaragua's Arabica coffee production.
Amongst the steep mountains, which only a bean picker on foot can reach, covered with shaded tree canopies and banana leaves as far as the eye can see, sits one of the world's rarest remaining Arabica varieties, Maragogype.
The Maragogype, commonly referred to as the Elephant Bean due to its exceptional size when compared to a common Arabica bean, stands tall over the surrounding Arabica plants.
"A lot of farmers love the Maragogype for their own consumption; it has more aroma and is sweeter than the other coffees." Ivan Rizo - third generation Maragogype grower
Although one of the richest and smoothest Arabica beans in the world, Maragogype crops are limited due to their lower yields compared with other Arabica beans, making it a far rarer bean and leading to high sale prices. Despite this cost, Vittoria Coffee has been purchasing the Maragogype bean for over 25 years and is now one of the largest purchasers in the world, knowing it not only provides a higher quality coffee blend, but also supports the farmers and communities that continue to grow this extremely rare varietal.
The Maragogype bean can be found in special bar blends at cafes and restaurants proudly serving Vittoria Coffee*.
* Excludes Organic and Decaffeinated