An exciting new forum for experimentation

This beautiful land has never before been used for agricultural purposes, and before we purchased it, we took many walks exploring the grounds. It’s a secluded spot surrounded by bodies of water on three sides, providing oasis-like separation from the elements. Finca La Cabra also affords some sprawling views—while forest hangs over most of the property, a plateau on one side of the land opens up to an awe-inspiring view of the majestic Pacific Ocean.

This gorgeous backdrop makes for an ideal location to grow beautiful super specialty coffees. Finca La Cabra is a joint venture between Willem Boot and his wife Catherine Cadloni and John and Lynelle Lawrence who own Mudhouse Coffee Roasters in Virginia. Managing the farm is Kelly Hartmann, whose family owns the Panamanian coffee farm Finca Hartmann and who has helped lead various award winning coffee-growing projects in the country.

One of the elements that makes Finca La Cabra exciting to us is that it’s a more manageable coffee farm. In coming down from the steep slopes of Finca La Mula, the farm owned by Willem Boot, you find a flatter, more accessible patch of land—which makes for an easier environment in which to grow coffee. At Finca La Cabra, we’re high enough at over 1,500 meters to produce exquisite-quality coffee.

The Geisha variety, which originated in western Ethiopia, has captivated us ever since we first tasted. We consistently find that it provides a juicy, complex cup like no other coffee we’ve tasted. While Geisha is our main variety at Finca La Cabra, we’re also growing two exciting experimental varieties: AF1 and AF2. While these new varieties will help bring genetic diversity to the farm, they also present unique attributes compared to the Geisha cultivar, in their cup profile and in the appearance of the plants.

And while Geisha receives most of its attention for the remarkable cups of coffee it yields, it’s worth noting that the variety is also tolerant to diseases such as coffee leaf rust (also known as la roya). This resilient characteristic of Geisha is quite useful.

Disease resistance is also important because Finca La Cabra is a fungicide-free farm, using natural processes to grow the best-possible coffee. It’s one of several sustainability-minded measures we’re following at the farm.