Costa Rica La Candelilla Gesha Natural

Named for the local fireflies, the La Candelilla Estate and Coffee Mill is located near the historic small town of San Marcos in southwestern Costa Rica. Nestled in the highland valley of Tarrazú, high up in the Talamanca Mountains, the mill is surrounded by abundant natural beauty and bountiful resources. The combination of fertile volcanic soil, high altitude, and temperate climate is perfect for growing high-quality coffee.

La Candelilla Estate, owned and operated by seven siblings of the Sánchez family, has the first independent mill created in Costa Rica. Before establishing the estate, each sibling managed their own land and delivered their coffee to a coop-managed mill. During the coffee crisis of 1997, the family came together and decided to pool their land and start their own wet mill. Today, the estate is thriving and growing.

This Gesha varietal was grown on Finca Palmilera, a 15 hectare plot that has been part of La Candelilla Estate for over 20 years. Didier and Pablo Sánchez manage the farm and are committed to producing quality specialty coffee through the combination of hands-on work and use of innovative technology.

For this coffee, only perfectly ripe cherries are harvested. They are carefully hand sorted to remove any defects and the select cherries are moved immediately to raised beds to dry in the sun. The coffee is carefully monitored and dried on a combination of raised beds and patios for 20 days.