The Zarcero region is renowned for its dairy production, and initially, the Salazar Castro family primarily operated a dairy farm. It was Doña María Elena who made the pivotal decision to diversify into coffee cultivation and investment.

In 2011, the family launched their own coffee processing venture with the establishment of the Monte Brisas micro mill.

Maria Elena’s farm, Finca La Salaca, is located at an elevation of 1750 meters on the verdant, mountainous slopes of Zarcero in Costa Rica’s renowned West Valley growing region. The Pacific Ocean significantly influences the West Valley, offering expansive views of Naranjo and Alajuela.

Doña María Elena stands out among a cohort of influential women in the coffee industry, actively involved in cultivating, processing, and marketing Costa Rican coffee. She oversees operations with support from her daughter-in-law, Marícruz. While her son Luis works as a school teacher in Zarcero, he also plays a vital role in managing the farms and mill during the peak harvest seasons.

When we cupped Maria’s geisha back in March, 2024, we were just amazed by its clarity, elegance and beautiful flavor layers. The coffee undergoes mechanical washing and is then sun-dried on raised beds near the wet mill. Retaining the fruit mucilage instead of washing it away is a key feature of honey process coffee. This particular lot is known as “semi-washed” or “white honey,” equivalent to fully washed coffee in Costa Rica. The demucilage machine is adjusted to remove most of the fruit, and the coffee is briefly soaked to help eliminate any remaining fruit. This lot spent 15 days on African beds in order to dry properly, then after 2 months of homogenization it was hulled and sorted.