This coffee comes from Santa Clara Estate, a farm owned and managed by Ricardo Zelaya. The influential Zelaya family has been growing coffee in Antigua for more than 100 years. This renowned family owns several farms in the region, and over the last century they have worked tirelessly to uphold, refine, and elevate the reputation of in Antigua, one of Guatemala’s most celebrated and loved coffee regions.

Ricardo is a meticulous and progressive farmer who is focused on delivering the very best coffee he can. He manages three coffee farms in Antigua: Santa Clara, Hacienda Carmona and Puerta Verde, and owns and manages a farm called Carrizal in the New Oriente coffee region. His farms are scrupulously well-managed — especially when it comes to the careful selection of varietals planted. While he prefers Bourbon and Caturra for volume, Ricardo has planted also Gesha, Pacamara, Villa Sarchi, Pacas and San Francisco to be able to offer differentiated microlots.

HOW THIS COFFEE WAS PROCESSED

This coffee was processed at Santa Clara in the wet and dry mills which are both located on the estate.

At the mill, the fruit is pulped and fermented for 14–22 hours in tiled tanks. The beans are then washed to remove any remaining pulp and carefully dried on the patio and then on raised beds, with a greenhouse-style enclosed canopy, which features flexible walls that can be adjusted to optimise airflow and control temperature and humidity. This method of drying allows Ricardo more control, enabling him to ensure the coffee is dried slowly and evenly.

Once dry, the coffee is rested in parchment until it is ready for export. It is then milled at the estate’s dry mill where Ricardo’s talented team who carefully monitor every stage of milling to ensure high-quality expectations are met. All organic by-products from the dry processing are recycled and reuse.