For millennia, the department of Santa Rosa, Guatemala. It has been a region known for its resilience against natural disasters that have ranged from countless volcanic eruptions, to catastrophic earthquakes and tropical storms that have continually morphed the landscape into a sanctuary of resplendent magnificence proclaimed by the local community as the “Cradle of the sun” where the precipitous terrain has evolved into UNESCO protected biospheres of dense forest, many turquoise lagoons formed from collapsed volcanoes most notably the Ayarza lagoon and endless rivers all guarded by the overbearing presence of 8 volcanoes.

Just over 70 years ago, an enterprising Guatemalan business man established his coffee estate which is now run by his great grandson, Guillermo Juarez. An enthusiastic and compassionate character who prides in his families rich coffee growing traditions who in the last two decades has focused on agricultural acumen, science and technology to harvest award winning specialty arabica coffee varieties such as Pache, Caturra, Bourbon, Villa Sarchí, Pacas, Pacamara, maragogype, Yellow Catuaí, Yellow Bourbon, Marseillaise and Geisha.

Guillermo and his son Willy, have a profound respect for this mountainous home and the surrounding biodiversity and implement sustainable approaches that actively protects the indigenous land from conventional farming practices that can determinately impact the local ecosystem.

A farming philosophy which doesn’t believe in the use of chemical herbicides and insecticides nor in deforestation. Rather Guillermo and his son analyse the soil fertility and its surrounding landscape of shade and temperature to determine what specialty variety will be harvested, a process which has led to three micro zones split across the farm known as La Loma, El Guatalón and the newest addition La Bougainvillea at elevations which exceed 1350m above sea level.