Coffee producer Daniel Canales of Finca Los Delirios purchased his farm in 1958. Los Delirios is situated in the small municipality of Pueblo Nuevo, located in northwestern Nicaragua, not far from the border with Honduras. A cattle farmer by trade, Daniel Canales took a chance on planting coffee on his farm. The name Los Delirios references this risk - “Los Delirios” means just what it sounds like - the delusions. Daniel’s decision paid off. Los Delirios is now three times the size of Daniel Canales’s original land - it’s now a collection of farms at over 400 hectares total. Coffee cultivation is now an extended family business, Daniel Canales gave parts of his farm to his three sons: Milton, Donal and Norman.
The brothers each manage their own parcels (as well as parcels owned by other family members), and have their own wet mills. After the coffees are washed, the beans are kept separate by farm and head to one of two state of the art dry mills in town where the coffees are dried. Their attention to detail at each of these stages is highly evident - much care is taken to ensure the cleanliness and consistency of their lots, which translates directly into the cup. They have invested time, energy, and resources in the installation of raised bed and shade-covered patios to promote slow and even drying, a critical step in preserving quality in the seed.
Beyond a dedication to innovation and quality, the Canales place a great deal of value on the social and environmental aspects of their work: providing jobs for many families in their community, aiding the soil through organic fertilization, and even reforesting areas of their farm to further protect the surrounding ecosystem.
Stumptown was introduced to the Canales family through the 2004 Cup of Excellence competition where Daniel Canales was the first coffee producer to have an organic lot place in the competition. As one of Stumptown’s longest standing Direct Trade relationships, we currently purchase lots from a number of the Canales brothers’ farms. It’s a beautiful partnership we are proud to be a part of.
