Bridazul Lot 1, Nicaragua, Supernatural

Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua Nicaragua's coffee industry dates to large-scale planting in the 1850s, and by 1870 coffee had become the country's principal export, a position it held for roughly a century. Production concentrated in the volcanic highlands of the north and centre, with Nueva Segovia, bordering Honduras, emerging as a serious specialty region from the 1920s onward. Farms around Dipilto, Mozonte and San Fernando sit on the pine-covered slopes of the Dipilto-Jalapa range, where altitude, fertile soils and a cooler climate allow cherries to mature slowly and develop layered sweetness and acidity. Most coffee here is grown on small, family-run, shade-grown farms, many of which lack the equipment to process and market their own coffee. Historically most Nueva Segovia coffee was washed, producing bright, clean, balanced cups, but in recent years collaborative mills such as El Árbol have given smallholders access to naturals and experimental fermentations, helping build Nueva Segovia's reputation as one of Nicaragua's most dynamic specialty regions.

Bridazul was created to build stronger connections between Nueva Segovia's smallholder farmers and the specialty coffee market. Founded by Claudia Lovo, its name combines a local word for connection with the blue of Nicaragua's flag—a reflection of the relationships at the centre of the business. Bridazul buys cherry above market rates and bases producer payments on the cost of production plus a profit margin, while taking on the risk of processing and selling the finished coffee. At Finca El Árbol, a collaborative mill built with Project Origin gives local farmers access to processing infrastructure, agronomy support and experimental techniques that would otherwise be difficult to reach. For this community lot, ripe cherries are covered on raised beds for three days to encourage low-oxygen fermentation, then dried slowly under shade for at least 25 days. The result is a vivid Supernatural lot shaped by shared infrastructure and a model designed to keep producers connected to value beyond the farm gate.