History

Café de Eleta resides in the highlands of Piedra de Candela, Renaissance District, Chiriquí Province, in 420 hectares of unique and privileged lands, famous for producing the most exotic coffees in the world. Café de Eleta was born in 1978 growing vegetables and raising sheep for wool production. After multiple consultancies, studies and new purchases of land by its founder Fernando Eleta Almarán, in 1995 the first batch of Arabicaic coffee of Catuaí variety is planted, always preserving primary forests, secondary and water sources that abound all over the farm. Finca Café de Eleta is a neighbor of La Amistad International Park (PILA), declared a World Heritage Site for its rich and abundant biodiversity.

Finca Café de Eleta represents an important buffer zone for this valuable protected area. Located between 1250 and 1500 meters above sea level, coffee growing areas are surrounded by humid tropical forest with temperatures between 18o and 24oC and annual rainfall between 2000 and 4000mm. There the soils, flora, fauna and microclimate combine to offer one of the best environments for the production of special coffee of the highest quality.

Today 185 hectares of Arabica coffee of the varieties are cultivated: Bourbon, Catuaí, Caturra, Geisha,
Maragogype, Pacamara and Typica and Peaberry is offered by special order. Finca Café de Eleta manages processes: washing, natural, honey and experimental using one of the best ecological benefits of coffee in Panama, with state-of-the-art technology. For natural processes, the grains are harvested at their highest maturity and the drying is done in African beds or in patio, and by mechanical air dryers. The wash process includes meticulous fermentation to achieve the perfect cup balance.

 

 Since 2000 Finca Café de Eleta is a member of specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) and its cafes have competed in the Best of Panama achieving outstanding scores.

Since 2003 Café de Eleta has been a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, and focuses on producing special coffee in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. All wastewater from the washing processes are treated in special vats organically and naturally so that they can return to nature and solid waste is composted to be used as an organic fertilizer at Finca Café de Eleta.

Café de Eleta has also distinguished itself by its Child Labour Eradication Program that is conducted annually in strategic alliance with Casa Esperanza, a specialized non-governmental organization. As part of this program, the sons and daughters of the workers Ngsbe-Buglé attend a school to continue their schooling and prevent their entry into the coffee plantations, particularly at harvest time. Children are cared for by specialized teachers, and receive medical care and nutritional supplements. Since 2016, Café de Eleta became the first Panamanian coffee farm certified by the YO SI CONDO Program of the Ministry of Labor and Labour Development, for its good practices.