19 Santa Clara - Guatemala 2021

Santa Clara Coffee Farm is a historic treasure located in the valleys of Antigua, Guatemala, where coffee is grown at altitudes between 5,100 and 6,200 feet above sea level. The region is privileged to have some of the richest volcanic soils available for the cultivation of specialty coffee.

Finca Santa Clara was bought in 1908 in a rather unusual way. Ricardo Zelaya’s great grandfather bought it during a trip to the barbershop from the client sitting next to him at the shop. Since then, the Zelaya family has devoted their lives to the quality and production of coffee, becoming some of the first coffee exporters from Guatemala.

Management of the farm was passed on from generation to generation. In 1989, Ricardo Zelaya, the fourth generation of coffee growers, eagerly started transforming Finca Santa Clara into what it is today. This moment marked the beginning of a new chapter for the farm, with a small but passionate team excited to work hard and produce the highest quality coffee in the world, while continuously increasing their farm’s social and environmental responsibilities.

Ricardo is the proud father of three daughters who have been learning from him at a very young age. They remember writing down all the details of the coffee plants in their pink notebooks when they were little. Today, his daughters work alongside him at the farm.

Ricardo has been committed to innovate and adapt in order to ensure excellence in every step of the coffee production chain. If there is one thing Ricardo stresses to his daughters is the word “innovation”. Ricardo believes in pruning systems, experimenting with new processes, planting new varieties, and keeping up to date with the latest tendencies to be able to offer the best to his clients.

Today, Finca Santa Clara has a strong team made of families who have been devoted to the production of specialty coffee for generations. Ricardo Zelaya’s laugh, philosophy, and passion are the key factors in the success of their happy business culture and their internationally recognized coffees.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US HERE: RICARDOZELAYACOFFEE.COM