5 - La Bandera - Costa Rica 2026 (Wet)

#5 — La Bandera
Diego Hidalgo Umaña   |   Mill: Diego Hidalgo Umaña
La Bandera is one of the oldest family-owned farms in the Los Santos region, with roots that stretch back nearly 200 years to an original land purchase by Diego Hidalgo's great-great-grandfather. What began as a traditional farming property has evolved across generations into a focused specialty coffee operation, now managed by the second generation of coffee producers in the family. For Diego and his siblings, this farm is inseparable from their identity — childhood memories of helping their father during harvest season are part of the story behind every lot.
The farm includes carefully managed micro-plots of Geisha, Catuaí, and other varieties, each maintained with distinct agronomic attention. An on-site nursery allows the family to continuously improve planting stock and maintain quality control from the ground up. Harvesting is carried out by Panamanian seasonal workers whose expertise in selective hand-picking is directly credited for the exceptional quality of the fruit. Natural shade from fruit trees, combined with the farm's steep highland terrain, creates the unique growing conditions that make La Bandera's lots consistently stand out.