Thumbnail Filmstrip of Panama Altieri Catuai Natural Rola Images

This Willoughby's Serious Select coffee be roasted and shipped on Tuesdays, 9/23, 9/30.

This season we directly imported a coffee that quickly blew out of here last season. It arrived, vacuum packed, in late July. For fans of fruity, clean Natural processed coffee, you will really enjoy this one and the price is fair for coffee of this quality. This is a Direct Trade coffee. It is more expensive this season as demand has increased for their coffee plus some tariff expense. Quantity of this coffee is very limited. We bought all that was available but it's not very much.

We have had a number of coffees over the past few years from Alieri and there coffee has made major leaps forward in quality, really impressing us in the most recent couple of years. We assume this observation is shared by our clientele, as the coffee sells quickly. About a month ago we sold one of their high end Geisha lots and we have another very special one waiting in the wings. In the meanwhile, this Natural Catuai coffee is delicious and impressive in its own right. The farm is owned by Gene Altieri, a native New Yorker who has lived and worked in Panama for the past 40+ years. It is now run by family members and While Gene had his hands in a number of successful businesses, he struck success with his two coffee farms, earning him top placement in competitions including the Best of Panama 2024. Altieri is now one of the top coffee producers in the Panama Highlands. Gene has a big family with lots of grandchildren and each individual plot of land on the Altieri Coffee Farm is now nicknamed for his family. This coffee comes from the plot called "Rola" named after his eldest grandchild, Roland.

Altieri has two farms in the Boquete region, one at a slightly lower altitude of 1350 meters above sea level and a higher elevation farm at 2000 meters. The varietals produced are criollo, caturra, catuai, catimor and geisha - this lot is a catuai. Upon first acquiring the farms Gene followed more ordinary farm practices, but after learning more about coffee production as the years passed, he along with coffee manager Roger Pitti, began focusing on improving everything.

Lot Specific Data from Altieri

The coffee was harvested on February 22th, 2025. It was then transported to Altieri's facilities in Alto Lino the next morning, where it underwent flotation to separate low-density cherries. Then it was placed on African beds in the drying greenhouse for its initial drying stage for 4 days, after reaching approximately 45% humidity. It was then placed in Grain Pro bags for 2 days to complete the fermentation process with low humidity. The coffee then underwent a drying stage in a green house on African beds for 30 days. Finally, the coffee then entered warehouse for resting, with controlled temperature and humidity.

Production Manager Roger Pitti

As the coffee quality increased, so did the living conditions of the coffee farmers and various workers who are native to the region. While conditions are generally very minimal for these workers, Gene and his team have initiated a pilot program that has produced drastic improvements in quality of life. Each family now has their own individual apartments with living, kitchen, and bathroom areas - something that is very rare for this type of work. Furthermore, each family must sign an agreement with the team which prohibits any substance and family abuse. The community is self governed by their own board of directors and is held accountable for ensuring that living areas are kept clean and organized. Families attend religious services together on a weekly basis and wives of farmers who are interested attend a sewing school on the premise that teaches them how to make clothing for both their own use and for sale at fairs in the area all year long. Children attend public school and also receive private tutoring when necessary. Once per month the community has a visit from physicians who donate their time for check ups.

It's obvious that Altieri has a deep rooted passion not only for the quality of coffee being produced, but also for the dedicated farmers who make that success possible. It's an honor to be able to acquire this coffee knowing that the effort and hard work that is put into growing it extends to the lives of the ones who deserve it the most. Kudos go to the Altieri family and the farm workers who contributed to this fine coffee.

We have been tasting Altieri's coffees for years and it is quite apparent how much the quality has improved over time. The coffee being produced has really come up to the top level as evidenced by their recent 3rd place win and this terrific coffee. The investment that Altieri has made in farm management, equipment, and a study of cutting edge processing practices are really paying off in the cup. Kudos go to farm manager Roger Pitti