Editorial illustration🇨🇷
Herbazú
This is a research profile, not an independently conducted farm visit. Producer and coffee relationships are shown only when the records agree. Check the research sources below for supporting evidence.
The story
The land has been in the Barrantes family for over 80 years, originally established by the grandfather, Leoncio, as a cattle and pasture operation before transitioning to coffee in the 1980s. In 2001, José Antonio Barrantes Zúñiga and his siblings founded the Herbazú micro-mill as a direct response to low market prices and the limitations of local cooperatives. This initiative made them pioneers of the micro-mill movement in Costa Rica, allowing the family to maintain full control over their production and establish direct relationships with international buyers.
Challenges
The family has historically faced the challenge of low market prices for coffee, which served as the primary motivation for establishing their own processing infrastructure. Additionally, the farm must navigate the complexities of climate and the labor-intensive requirements of precision harvesting to maintain their high quality standards.
Innovations
Counter Culture credits the family with micro-mill leadership, advanced processing, work with new varieties, and direct relationships with roasters and importers.
Published coffees linked to this farm
For blends, a farm may be named for one documented component without growing the entire coffee. These catalog relationships do not independently verify every lot, harvest or producer. See individual coffee profiles for traceability evidence.
Editorial illustrationBlend contributor: Herbazú is named for one component in this coffee's catalog record, not the entire blend.
Research sources & verification
These source links were recorded for this farm profile. They document its research trail; a linked source is not, by itself, confirmation of every farm, producer, coffee lot or photo identity.
Research last reviewed: 2026-10-27