NW RETANA Y ANEXOS GUATEMALA 2023

The property was bought from GRACE Y COMPAÑÍA, CENTRAL AMERICA on June 13th, 1932; since then it’s been a property of the family. Previously, the property was owned by the families Aguirre and Paul. Originally, the property was owned by an order of friars, whose principal representative was father Retana, that is where it’s name comes from.
At the beginning, the property was sowed with sugar cane for the production of rapadura (Guatemalan sweet candy made of sugar), milk cattle and woodlouse. Later on and with the management of the Cofiño´s family and the Iowa State College with Dr. Melhus and Mr. William Popenoe, a hybrid corn experimental sown was started. Also, studies of the production of avocado and macadamia were made, and finally the property was totally planted mainly with coffee.
At the moment, 154 acres are planted with different varieties of coffees, specially with Arabic, Yellow bourbon and Caturra. The average annual production is approximately 2,500 bags of 100 Pounds parchment coffee.
The property has a settlement for it’s workers and approximately 20 families live there. It pays for the education of the children of the laborers at a rural school located in the village of San Bartolo. This free education is available also for the children of the families who require this service and have a working relationship with the farm. It has electricity and drinking water facilities and each permanent employee has a sowing and working area of 9 cuerdas equivalent with 1.5 manzana|s (14,002meters2) or 1.4 hectares (3.46 Acres).
The property has a natural woodland and it has been reforested with a variety of cypress and pine native of the region. The total area that has been reforested is over the 45 hectares (111.20 Acres) or 65 manzanas (450,010meters2).
It also has a small production of citric, especially orange of the Washington variety (Naval Orange) and Persian lemon and macadamia trees.
Since the beginning of the year 2001, The Asociación de Productores de Café Genuino de Antigua, which we are part of, was founded, and at the moment, we are in process of the Certification of our coffee as genuine from Antigua’s origin.