Our Award-Winning Coffee Region

Costa Rica, bounded by two world seas, offers a breathtaking wealth of flora and fauna. The Central Valley, ringed by active, dormant and extinct volcanoes, enjoys a special climate, described by National Geographic magazine as "the world's best." The small, sleepy village of Naranjo has more than a 150-year-old tradition in coffee growing. It is nestled at the northern edge of the Central Valley, surrounded by coffee plantations from 4,000' (1,000 m) to 6,000' (1,500 m) above sea level.

Our plantation Finca el Sueño ("The Dream Farm"), lies in the midst of this region at 5,600' (1,400 m) elevation, and has a breathtaking view to the Pacific Ocean. It is fact that the farm offers not only a view ... above all, it profits from the optimal climatic and geographic conditions.
Up here in the cooler temperatures, the coffee grows more slowly than in lower areas, and develops an especially fine, spicy aroma. The special microclimate, the mineral-rich volcanic soils and the high elevation of the region are an outstanding environment for a highland coffee of excellent quality.



North from Naranjo is Zarcero, a little agricultural mountain town, famous for its cool weather, pine trees, organic vegetables, peach jam, dairy farms, homemade cheese and the charming topiary garden in front of the town's white and red church. In 1960, gardener Don Evangelisto Blanco began to trim the bushes in Parque Francisco Alvardo into fanciful shapes ... elephants, birds, rabbits, oxen and cart, a monkey on a motorcycle even a tunneled walkway to the church's front entrance.

East from Naranjo lies the small village of Sarchi, it's the country's most famous artisan town. Sarchí has been famous for decades in Costa Rica for its fine handicrafts. The tradition has its roots at the beginning of the 19th century, when the first colorfully-painted oxcarts (carretas), with their large wooden wheels, were developed in the village. The oxcart was used in the mid-nineteenth century to transport coffee and other goods from the Central Valley to the port cities of Puntarenas and Limon.