Region: Tres Rios, Cartago
Elevation: 1250-1350 masl
About: Located a short distance outside the capital city of San José, Alice Soto farms the land at Finca Garcilaso. A few years ago, with production the lowest it'd ever been, Alice made the difficult but necessary decision to completely renovate the farm. Replanting most of the 42-hectare farm with newly developed Centroamericano varieties. Centroamericano varieties were produced by a group of Central American coffee institutes and CIRAD, a genetic research centre based in France. This research aimed to create high-quality, high-yielding, and disease-resistant varieties. Centroamericano H1 is a result of crossing the rust-resistant Sarchimor with Rume Sudan varieties. During the renovation, Alice divided the farm into plots to separate varieties and allow for more traceability. She also implemented several social and environmental programs aimed at protecting the local rivers and wildlife and moving Finca Garcilaso away from more traditional farming practices.
