Teresa de Jesus Castellanos

In the highlands of Nueva Segovia, with its privileged climate, nature, and geographical location, lies Finca San Antonio, a specialty coffee farm now run by Teresa Castellanos, who proudly succeeds her late husband Luis Emilio Gomez, a notable and well-known coffee producer in the region. The farm’s name, which comes from their devotion and faith in Saint San Antonio, today stands for a family tradition, heritage and pride that lives on. Teresa, the matriarch in charge, has over 30 years of experience growing coffee and about 10 years working with specialty coffee.

Teresa highlights how nothing at the farm would be possible without her children, who are very committed to making the farm successful and play a key role in carrying out farm activities and decisions, especially her son Loyman Castellano, who is an agricultural engineer and her trusted team member.

Today, 70% of the farm is planted with the Caturra variety, 15% with Pacamara and 15% with Catimor. Selective harvesting is a golden rule for all coffee varieties. 100% of the coffee is washed and aerobically fermented in concrete tanks for 18 to 20 hours on average. All coffee is dried on raised beds at Caravela’s drying site in Ocotal, Nueva Segovia for 15 days (about 2 weeks) on average. In the near future, they plan to improve the coffee plantations, renew some plots, prune, and further improve quality.

Teresa tells us that they are motivated to produce high-quality coffee because they want to pursue better livelihoods, advance the family business, and be sustainable overall. For Teresa, this is fundamental because the farm is a source of income for her family and her community, and when everyone benefits, it results in a positive impact for all. Therefore, she hopes that coffee drinkers around the world who taste her coffee will appreciate and recognize the effort and work that goes behind each coffee they produce as a family.

Lastly, Teresa’s story began with a family legacy, and it continues to be, as she points out, “an enriching journey on which she works in harmony and with the support of her family.”