Guatemala Santa Clara

Gesha Malawi

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

The Zelaya family is passionately committed to both quality and sustainability. The family farms are scrupulously well-managed, 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 and feature sedimentation tanks that prevent pollution of
the local river systems. On Santa Clara, the workers are seen as members of
the family, which is why, in 2010, Ricardo began a scholarship program to help workers pay for the education of their children. This program is funded by
Ricardo and has the support of buyers from abroad, who have supported the cause since 2012. Managed, now, by his daughter Bel, who has a degree in Special
Education, the dream is for the project to achieve formal non-profit status and expand to include not only the children whose parents work on the farm but also
those from surrounding communities.

Santa Clara treats their employees like family, and many have been with the farm and the family for generations. For instance, the farm Administrator, Marcos Rompiche,
has worked for the Zelayas for over 25 years years and is the 3rd generation to work the land. The Production Manager, Israel Yool, has over 20 years working for the
family and is the 2nd generation to do so. Including them, the farm provides work for 25 permanent employees year-round, all of whom help Ricardo
manage the processing and production for Fincas Juaja, Santa Clara, Puerta Verde and San Augustin. The family hires an additional 332 additional individuals during the harvest.

This specific lot is comprised of the Gesha Malawi varietal. Ricardo obtained the seeds from a friend who worked for Mitsubishi Cafe Guatemala. This was his first experience with Gesha, and he was unaware of the value it contained. This strain of Gesha is not common and Ricardo is the only one growing it in the region. Production fully began twelve years ago at 1,750 – 1,850 metres above sea level. The grain size is
smaller than typical Gesha. Every cherry on the farm is hand-picked and then sorted by
hand before being approved by the foreman for delivery to the wet mill. The farm also hires ‘special pickers’ who have demonstrated particular dexterity and are selected to hand harvest some of the farms’ microlots using impressive attention to detail. These employees can receive more than double the minimum daily wage through picking coffee at the farm. According to Ricardo, although they are very demanding about picking practices, people come back year upon year, which is a testament to the fair treatment
they receive. Regarding processing: Santa Clara only started processing coffee using the natural method in 2014, but they have very quickly perfected it. First, only the very best, perfectly ripe cherries are selected to be processed using the natural method. The beans are washed thoroughly in the receiving tanks and additional water was passed over them to remove any traces of dirt. They are then left in this tank overnight. After this, the cherries are passed through the washing channels to ensure there were no floaters (light, damaged beans) and then transferred directly to African beds inside the greenhouse, where they are initially turned every 30 minutes. As the beans dry, they are turned more frequently (every 15 minutes) to ensure uniform drying. Drying time takes, on average, between 21 and 35 days, depending on the weather, to reach the desired moisture level.