Finca Santa Clara is a renowned coffee farm located in the Antigua region of Guatemala, known for its high-quality, shade-grown coffee and sustainable practices. The farm has been managed by Ricardo Zelaya since 1988. He is a fourth-generation coffee producer, who is dedicated to quality, sustainability and is socially committed to address the educational needs of the children of the workers on the farm.
Ricardo Zelaya
Located on the slopes of the Agua Volcano the coffee grows at the optimal altitude of 1600-1830 meters. The coffee cherries are hand-picked, sorted and then pulped, fermented and washed before drying them in raised beds under strict monitored conditions. The very best beans are selected for the “microlot” designation.
Coffee cherries
About 25% of the 110-hectare farm is designated as a natural reserve. The farm utilizes eco-friendly practices which includes sedimentation tanks at the mills to prevent water pollution and composting of the mill pulp for fertilizer. The parchment from the dry mill is used as fuel to reduce wood usage.
The H4H team has loved Ricardo’s exceptional coffee since we became friends in 2010. We devised a means to not only enjoy the coffee but also to help to fund the educational needs of the children on the farm. The Finca Santa Clara Scholarship Fund program was soon established and managed by Ricardo’s talented daughters. The program is designed to fund the education of the children of the farm workers and is based on need, aptitude and dedication.
H4H as a Canadian registered Society facilitates tax deductible donations made by Canadian buyers/importers of the Zelaya coffee. Other international buyers of the coffee donate directly to the Fund. H4H’s contributes directly purchasing and selling this great microlot coffee. The program, began in 2011 with 8 students has now grown and supports 42 students from grade school through to university. H4H directly and indirectly accounts for about 2/3 of the contributions to the Scholarship Fund. We have also provided computers for computer labs at the Finca Santa Clara and at the more remote location in Carizal.
The program starts with Ricardo selling the green microlot Finca Santa Clara coffee to H4H. The coffee is transported to Canda in the green state by team members or facilitated by container shipment by CommonGoal Coffee. In Canada the coffee is optimally roasted by Bean Around the World Roastery and is then sold to H4H team members, family and friends. All “profits” are returned directly back to the Scholarship Fund in Guatemala which manages the funds to support the educational needs of the enrolled students.
Some H4H team members have expanded the support and regularly provide educational supplies in the form of exercise books, pens, pencils and school bags.
Education is a gift that cannot ever be taken away.
Years of proud support