The story we have with Finca Limoncillo is a long and exciting one. This relationship was a key step in the history of our business - we’re really proud of everything that's happened in the past, and super excited for where we can go in the future.
In 2007 we were buying from Limoncillo as part of a buying group, we loved it from the very first time we cupped it, and it was a coffee we just had to get. It was only after the auction closed that we discovered it was owned by a family in Nicaragua who were already our good friends through the Cup of Excellence programme.
This relationship has gone from a one-off Cup of Excellence buy to a fantastic long-term relationship that we’re so very proud to have. Limoncillo is located in Matagalpa and, at massive 173 hectares in size. Situated in an amazing location, it boasts nine waterfalls within the farm. 119 hectares of the farm are used for coffee cultivation, with the remainder used to raise cattle and horses and left to natural woodland. More than 60 families live on Finca Limoncillo year-round, which is a testament to how much the Mierisch family care about the people who support them. The fact that the family are friends helps us drill down into the details of what they do for the people who work for them, and the information continues to prove to us that good people grow good coffee.
At Limoncillo, the family:
- Pay their staff 30% more than what is typical minimum wage
- Provide free housing for 60 families on their farms
- Provide free electricity and running water for their homes
- Provide free food for all workers Have free day care facilities for families to use
- Provide free health care facilities on the farms
- Employ on-site teachers who educate their staff and teach other skills such as pottery and weaving. The goal is to help staff diversify their skills. The teachers are also paid twice the wages they would receive in the cities.
- Country: Nicaragua
- Municipality: Yasica Norte
- Region: Matagalpa
- Farm name: Limoncillo
- Producers: The Mierisch Family
- Farm size: 171 hectares
- Coffee growing area: 109 hectares
- Elevation: 1,200 m.a.s.l.
- Varietal: Red Bourbon
- Processing system: Natural