LEARN MORE ABOUT
Bird Friendly Costa Rica
We chose to highlight the Resplendent Quetzal for this coffee since Roberto's family returned land to Costa Rica for La Amistad International Park, which has prime habitat for the quetzal to live.
La Amistad International Park is the largest national park in Costa Rica at 479,000 acres. Its borders extend throughout the Cordillera de Talamanca, a mountain range with altitudes exceeding 3800 meters. La Amistad is home to two-thirds of the plant and animal species found in Costa Rica, tropical lowland rainforest, cloud forest, tropical upland rainforest, and rainy paramo. It is called "La Amistad" (the friendship) because the park is shared between Panama and Costa Rica. La Amistad National Park is one of the most biodiverse locations in Central America. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is largely unexplored.
REGION
Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Central America
PROCESSING
Fully Washed, Mechanical Dryer
ELEVATION
1,220 to 1,524 meters
PRODUCER
Hacienda la Amistad, located in Coto Brus, a canton in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, is owned and operated by Roberto Montero, a third-generation coffee farmer. Roberto's grandfather first came to the area in the early 1900's as part of a team surveying the border between Costa Rica and the newly formed country of Panama. Roberto's grandfather later purchased over 10,000 hectares of land and began to cultivate coffee. Roberto's family has returned more than 6,000 hectares of land to the Costa Rican government for the preservation of La Amistad International Park, the largest natural reserve in Central America.
Only 300 hectares of land are utilized for coffee cultivation, while the remainder of the 4,000 hectare estate is preserved forest teeming with wildlife. Roberto's commitment to organic farming pairs harmoniously with his commitment to his community. During the coffee harvest, Roberto provides housing and free access to medical care for the seasonal pickers because most are indigenous people from Panama who come to La Amistad with their entire families. Roberto also takes pride in providing more than 100 full-time jobs to his neighbors from Las Mellizas, not only in coffee cultivation but also in the dried fruit operation he runs year-round at La Amistad. Roberto hosts an annual employee celebration to recognize their hard work, and he also distributes school supplies to their children each year before the school year starts.
