The Zelaya family has been growing coffee for over 100 years and four generations.
| Farm: | Santa Clara (Antigua) |
| Varietal: | Bourbon Caturra |
| Processing: | Fully Washed and dried on patio |
| Altitude: | 1,600-1,830 metres |
| Owner: | Zelaya family |
| City: | Antigua |
| Region: | Antigua Valley |
This renowned family owns farms throughout Guatemala.
They grow one of only a handful of genuine ‘Antigua’ coffees (coffees grown in the Antigua valley area bounded 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 at 1,600-1,830 meters. The farm has been managed since 1988 by Ricardo Zelaya, the 4th generation of the Zelaya family to have produced coffee at Santa Clara.
The Zelaya family is passionately committed to both quality and sustainability.
The family’s farms are scrupulously well-managed right from the careful selection of varietals planted, to the close supervision of the dry and wet mills. The coffee is shade grown which protects the plants from direct sunlight, maintains soil health, and provides an important habitat for birds and insect life. The family’s mills are also eco-friendly. The water used in the wet processing of the cherries is drained into sedimentation tanks to prevent pollution of the local river systems and the pulp is transformed to humus by worm culture.
Santa Clara won 3rd place in the first Guatemala Cup of Excellence in 2001. The farm was again recognized amongst the winners at Cup of Excellence in 2009 where it finished in 21st place. Santa Clara is also a founding member of APCA, the ‘Genuine Antigua Coffee Producers’
