Located near the town of San Cristóbal Verapaz, in the cool, rainy reaches of Cobán, Guatemala, Finca San Isabel is situated on 300 acres of high, but relatively level, fertile land. Finca San Isabel was first acquired by Luis Valdes II’s great-grandfather in 1875, when the land was granted to the Valdés family by Guatemala’s President; however, the farm was passed out of the hands of the family when it was inherited by a nephew who sold it to a third party. It took time for the farm to return to the Valdés family, who took charge again in 1960 when Luis Valdes I purchased it, bringing it back into the family. He started the coffee plantation in 1965.
Don Luis and his son – also named Luis (nicknamed ‘Wicho’) – manage the farm as general and agricultural manager, respectively. Now Luis IV (5 years old), Wicho’s son and Luis’ grandchild, spends his school holidays at the farm, much as his father did when he was young.
✹ Farm: Santa Isabel ✹ Varietal: Caturra, Catuai ✹ Process: Fully washed ✹ Altitude: 1,400 to 1,600 masl ✹ Town / City: San Cristobal Verapaz ✹ Region: Cobán ✹ Owner: Luis Valdes ✹ Farm Size: 300 hectares
