Comments on: A short visit to Boquete, Panama, home of Hacienda La Esmeralda – February 2010

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 03:50:09 +0000

Very interesting to note that such a great variety found a home in a (relatively speaking) well developed country. Unique coffee varietals can certainly benefit from economicaly stable regions where farmers can afford to make some experiments on the side. Hope that a success like that one inspires others!

Thanks for sharing this.

By: george

george — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:43:30 +0000

Two of the four farms I focused on were American owned, but they are exceptions. You can read a short history on Lerida here: http://www.fincalerida.com/index.php?cccpage=historia . The history of La Esmeralda can be read at: http://www.haciendaesmeralda.com/Family.htm . Boquete was founded in 1911, with the building of the Panama Canal, by settlers from different parts of Europe, from Scandinavia to Italy; the Serracin family of Finca Don Pache arrived from Venice while the founder of La Esmeralda hailed from Sweden. Boquete and the surrounding region of Chiriqui, with its volcanic soil, misty mountains and crystalline waterfalls have attracted travelers since the late nineteenth century. Coffee and cattle were natural choices for farming in the higher elevations surrounding Boquete, given the cool year round spring-like temperatures and lush vegetation.

The vast majority or workers are migrant Indians – who do the harvesting. This is a complex, delicate and controversial subject involving radically different cultures and economics. The Petersons, owners of La Esmeralda, put out this statement: “First comes sustainability of people. Our business practices must always be such that our products will readily sell at a level which will keep everyone (owners and workers) fed, clothed, educated and in good health. Beyond that we strive that everyone has a degree of security in their lives to permit a home and a pension at retirement. When this degree of sustainability of people is defined, the rest tends to follow as day the night.” Price Peterson was especially strong, speaking to me, in his statements of concern for Indian workers at his farm and in Panama. I have not penetrated beyond simple early inquiries however. It requires both substantial time and resources to do any justice to all concerned. Thanks for the comment ~ george

By: Constanti Ioan

Constanti Ioan — Sun, 16 May 2010 02:20:13 +0000

Thanks for sharing this.

By: Julie

Julie — Sat, 15 May 2010 09:41:09 +0000

George, this is great! I really look forward to reading more here.

By: fishrock

fishrock — Sat, 15 May 2010 00:42:02 +0000

george -

Informative and good looking blog! I’m honored to be one of the first to leave a comment. Could you sometime talk about the culture of coffee in the countries where you buy the beans? In this post, the owners seemed to be Americans – how did they come to the world of coffee production and particularly these countries? What is their relationship with their employees, etc. I’m really looking forward to reading the blog on a regular basis. Thanks for your efforts.
fishrock