Finca El Platanillo

The story

The Coto family bought Finca El Platanillo in the 1970s. Stuardo Coto took over from his father in 1985 and expanded the family's commitment to the land and its workforce.

Challenges

Dense mountainside vegetation and daily heavy rains require careful harvest and farm management.

Innovations

The farm pursued Rainforest Alliance certification in the 2000s and in 2011 became the first coffee farm to achieve the organization's then-new climate-friendly verification. It also provides worker housing, supports a community school built on donated farm land, and tests varieties in small plots before expanding successful plantings.