Guatemala Santa Clara

About this coffee

The Zelaya family has been growing coffee for over 100 years and for four generations. It all started back in 1908 when the great-grandfather of the current owner, Ricardo, had a dream of growing coffee and began to purchase land throughout Guatemala to create coffee farms. Today, this renowned family grows coffee in many regions of Guatemala and are one of only a handful of genuine ‘Antigua’ coffee growers, nestled in the Antigua valley area surrounded by three volcanoes – Agua, Acatenango and Fuego. Finca Santa Clara is located on the fertile southern slopes of the Volcán de Agua in the Antigua Valley. Ricardo Zelaya has managed the farm, which was bought in 1974 by his grandfather, since 1989 and is the 4th generation of the Zelaya family to have produced coffee at Santa Clara. Since taking over the farm, he has increased the size from 17 hectares of coffee plantations to 110 hectares as well as building a wet mill, drying patios, and a greenhouse to improve the processing of the coffee. After studying at Zamorano and the University of Florida in agribusiness, he was wellprepared to take over the family business and it shows in his dedication and passion for high quality coffee