Four Roads – Panama

Description

Four Roads – Panama

Cuatro Caminos – Panama is a coffee farm that has become a strategic point for specialty coffee production. Located just 10 minutes from the city of Boquete, it covers 3.3 hectares (8.3 acres) at an average altitude of 1,350 meters above sea level, where approximately 13,500 coffee trees grow.

More than just a farm, Cuatro Caminos serves as an operations center. It houses modern facilities capable of pulping, drying, peeling, grading, and storing high-quality coffee, as well as a testing laboratory that guarantees traceability and excellence at every stage of the process.

A space for families and the community

The estate was designed as a place for several families to live and work, with homes that offer security and stability. Currently residing there are:

• Balbina Abrego (with 3 children)

• Evangelisto Abrego and Balbina (with 5 children)

• Enrique Abrego and Jessica (with 3 children)

• Antonio Bejerano and Amalia Andrade (with 2 children)

• Malaquías Abrego and Sabina Villagra (with 2 children)

• Eliseo Miranda (with 1 child)

• Jairo Abrego (with 2 children)

• Ceferino Abrego (with 5 children)

• Benicio Garay (with 1 child)

• Feliciano and Mitzilia Abrego

• Rodolfo and Nereida Miranda

• Rolando López

• Porfirio Miranda and Yaxari Marcuci (with 1 child)

This commitment to the community is an essential part of the farm's philosophy, which also guarantees to be 100% free of child and slave labor.

Innovation and sustainability

One of the most notable projects is the vermicomposting system. Coffee pulp and mucilage are converted, thanks to Californian worms, into nutrient-rich humus that is returned to the soil, improving the fertility of coffee plantations and reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers.

In addition, the farm has a main nursery that can house up to 100,000 young coffee plants, ensuring constant crop renewal and the selection of quality genetic material.

Cultivated variety: Catuai

The predominant variety on the farm is Catuai, a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra developed in Brazil. It is a compact and resilient plant with rounded leaves and short internodes, capable of withstanding heavy rains and winds. In the cup, it is characterized by its sweetness and versatility, attributes that make it highly prized in natural processes.

The natural process in Cuatro Caminos – Panama

Harvesting is concentrated between February and March, when more than 60% of the cherries have reached their optimum ripeness. During these summer months, the concentration of sugars in the fruit is highest, which favors the final sensory profile.

Ripe cherries are carefully selected and spread on African beds for 3 to 4 weeks, turning them constantly to ensure even drying and prevent unwanted fermentation. Once the 11% moisture content is reached, the coffee is stored in suitable sacks and rests for 90 to 120 days, stabilizing its attributes and enhancing its complexity in the cup.

This natural process intensifies the transfer of sugars from the pulp to the bean, resulting in a coffee with greater body, fruity sweetness, low acidity, and a creamy texture.

A coffee with identity

The result is a complex and elegant sensory profile: a floral and enzymatic fragrance, notes of white wine, white flowers, honey, and lychee, over a base of hazelnut, malt, and coriander. The finish is liqueur-like and fruity, with an enveloping sweetness and vibrant acidity.

Cuatro Caminos – Panama is not just a farm: it's a model of sustainability, innovation, and human commitment, where the quality of the coffee is intertwined with respect for the land and the families who grow it.