Meet Our Growers
Relationship coffee is what brings growers, harvesters, producers, and buyers together. Soleil Coffee travels to Panama for each harvest to meet with our growers. The result of these trips is a carefully crafted selection of coffee varieties with different cup qualities.
Callejón Seco, Boquete Region
Altieri Specialty Coffee
Regenerative Farming Methods
Altieri Specialty Coffee was founded by Eugene Altieri, an Italian-American businessman residing in Panama who bought the farms, without knowing the potential for growing specialty coffee. After fifteen years of coffee growing and earning various awards, his children are following his legacy.
Altieri grows Geisha, Typica and Catuai, and Caturra varieties and their processes vary between natural, washed and fermented coffees.
These prize-winning coffees are grown on the Eastern slope of the Baru Volcano, surrounded by the virgin cloud forests of the Baru National Park, at a height of between 1,600 and 2,200 meters above sea level, in an area known as Callejón Seco. This area consists of volcanic soil, drained on the slope of the volcanic mountain, at an altitude where winds from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans collide creating microclimates different from the rest of Central America.
Farm Manager, Roger Pitti, welcomed us earlier this year to tour the coffee plantation, processing facilities, quality control areas, and taste varieties in their beautiful cupping room built in the ridge of the mountain over-looking more coffee plants. We were very impressed with all of their coffees. Ultimately, we chose two geishas for our “Geisha Joya” collection and a Catuai natural with dry fermentation process for our “Ambrosia” line.
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Piedra de Candela, Tierras Altas Region
Cafe de Eleta
Rainforest Alliance Certified
Nestled in the highlands of Piedra de Candela, in Chiriquí, Panama between 1,250 and 1,500 meters above sea level, next to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of La Amistad International Park, Café de Eleta was originally established in 1978 by Don Fernando Eleta Almaran. The Eleta estate primarily produced agricultural crops and livestock. Today, the farm specializes exclusively in coffee, growing Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, Geisha, Maragogype, Pacamara and Typica varieties, preserving the primary and secondary forests and abundant streams throughout their farm.
The farm uses state-of-the-art technology to procure a sustainable, environmentally conscious coffee processing operation, including the organic treatment of wastewater from the washed coffee processes and composting of solid waste. Coffee processes include washed, natural, honey and experimental. For natural process coffee, grains are harvested at their ripest and dried on raised beds or patios, and by mechanical air dryers. Washed coffee processes include meticulous fermentation to achieve the perfect balance in the cup.
During the harvest, Café de Eleta provides employment for many workers that come from indigenous communities around Panama, primarily from the Ngabe-Bugle indigenous jurisdiction.
On our most recent trip, we cupped several lots and chose a Bourbon washed for our “Little Spark” espresso and a lovely Geisha washed to round out our “Geisha Joya” collection.
El Salto Plateau, Boquete Region
Cafe Kotowa
Sustainably Grown
Kotowa comes from the indigenous Gnobe language which means “mountains”. A “Coffee from the Mountains” that is produced in Boquete by dedicated people in a traditional way. Ricardo Koyner and his daughter Victoria operate Kotowa. Kotowa is comprised of five farms, each growing different varieties at different elevations and microclimates. Varietals include, Ethiopian Heirloom, Typica, Geisha, Pacamara, and Caturra. They utilize washed, natural, honey, yeast, lactic fermentation, and carbonic maceration processing methods.
The Duncan farm is located on the western side of Boquete, El Salto Plateau, at an altitude of 1,650 to 1,750 meters above sea level. During our visit, we cupped many varieties, including Ethiopian Heirlooms, Chiroso, and Geishas. Victoria continued to cup after our visit to find the perfect Ethiopian Heirloom lots to make up our “Heirloom” product line. These lots have tasting notes of orange blossom, lemongrass, raspberries, and dark plum.
Piedra de Candela, Tierras Altas Region
Finca Candela
Single-Origin Excellence
Finca Candela is located in the highlands of Piedra de Candela, in Chiriqui, Panama 1,580 to 1,680 meters above sea level. In 1968, American-born John Richard Fillis moved to Panama with the Peace Corps to teach at San Benito School in Chiriqui. After many years, Fillis purchased property from the school. The property consists of four farms on 72 hectares, 30 of which are preserved.
Today, his son, Gregorio Fillis, runs the daily operations of the farm with his children. Gregorio is an American citizen that served in the Afghan War. He works alongside many talented farm hands, including 86-year-old Hilberto “Beto” that has worked on the farm since 1982. Candela grows Caturra, Catuai, Geisha, Bourbon, Arara, Ana Café 14, Typica, Pacamara, and SL-28 varieties.
We walked through different areas of the farm, which included a new section of Café Ana-14 coffee plants. After cupping many different varieties, we chose Caturra and Catuai varieties for our “Verano” blend. There is a great possibility that we will add some Ana Café-14 and SL-28 varieties to our coffee offering next year.
Jaramillo Highlands, Boquete Region
Hacienda La Esmeralda
Globally Acclaimed Producer of High-Altitude Geisha Coffee
Hacienda La Esmeralda is a family-owned company that produces specialty coffee in the highlands of Boquete, located in the South-West mountains of Panama, and is home to the famous award-winning Esmeralda Geisha. They take pride in achieving the highest standards of sustainable coffee production and devote time and attention to the details and fine touches that have always distinguished them from other coffee producers around the world. Hacienda La Esmeralda is owned by the Peterson Family.
El Velo is the newest of Hacienda La Esmeralda’s farms, since 2012. On a slightly sloping terrain, this 50-hectare farm is neatly divided into rows and organized into different producing areas. The farm is planted with Geisha variety, as well as other exotic varieties like Laurina, Pacamara and SL-34, along with some 400+ other coffee accessions as part of a long-term exploration of high-quality cup, disease resistance and commercial viability. The farm is planted at an altitude of 1,650 to 1,900 meters above sea level, though the land continues up the mountain all the way to 2,900 meters above sea level, where there is a nature reserve, home to the famous Quetzal and other endangered birds and animals.
Los Pozos, Tierras Altas Region
Mi Finquita by Ratibor Hartmann
Natural & Anaerobic-Macerated Micro-Lots
Located in Los Pozos, Tierras Altas, Chiriqui. Panama, this farm has a pleasant temperate tropical mountain climate. Mi Finquita, is made up of a group of farms separated geographically that cover a proportion of land of 10 hectares. They produce Geisha, Caturra, Typica, and Maragogipe varieties.
Ratibor Hartmann's experience as a consultant for 30 years in coffee and third-generation producer in Panama, has enabled this farm to produce exceptional coffee varieties utilizing artisan processes like traditional natural and also anaerobic fermentations.
We met with Tessie Hartmann during our visit to the farm. She explained the very meticulous harvesting and processing methods that they employ. The Typica honey we selected for our “Munko” line is an exciting one!
