FARM: Hacienda Santa Luz
REGION: Matagalpa
ALTITUDE : 700-900 MASL
VARIETAL : H3
PROCESS : Natural

Hacienda Santa Luz was one of two farms that were bought as abandoned lots back in 2003. The long-term goal was to re-establish coffee plantations in a sustainable way. This has involved not only replanting coffee trees with new and diverse varieties but also establishing a professional organisation. All operations, including exports, are handled directly on the farm.

105 hectares are identified as being suitable for coffee growing. As a rainforest-certified farm though, this is not a simple expansion at the cost of the environment. Embracing new higher-yielding varietals or with improved disease resistance is also suitable for increasing yield.

Pink Bourbon, SL28, Centroamericano and more all make an appearance in the fields. An ecological processing plant was built to reduce the impact on the environment. 30 hectares of farm is preserved as forest.

The mountains of Matagalpa provide a unique microclimate for the farm that Ricardo Herrera as CEO and General Manager Marco Tulio Gonzalez are able to manage with a team of 50 permanent workers and an additional 400 seasonal pickers. Sr Herrera brings previous operations expertise from Colombia and Costa Rica whilst Sr Gonzalez obtained an MBA in industrial engineering to really bring another level of insight to the processing.

The H3 varietal was planted in 2015, and is a cross between Caturra and an Ethiopian landrace accession.

Produced as part of the first wave of F1 hybrid varieties, H3 does still have some susceptibility to rust but has maintained presence in the fields due to its exceptional cup quality.

Cherries are picked by hand as very ripe, before drying at a consistent low temperature in two stages to create the fruity characteristics.