Nicaragua – Limoncillo

Love exotic coffees? The story behind the happy accident of this stunning JavaNica coffee—only found on Finca Limoncillo (so they say)—is almost too mythical to be true.

Here’s how the story goes: Third-generation farmer Dr. Erwin was driving down a rural Nicaraguan road when he came upon a random man selling shovels and coffee seeds. The man had recently lost his farm and needed to sell the remainder of his incredible “Java” coffee seeds to make ends meet, so Dr. Erwin bought 20 pounds, skeptical but curious, and planted them at Finca Limoncillo.

Years later, the coffee from those plants earned Finca Limoncillo 4th place in the 2017 Cup of Excellence. Genetic testing eventually revealed that the seeds were actually from the Ethiopian Longberry varietal, and were likely brought to Nicaragua as part of an exotic coffee research initiative by UNICAFE.

Dr. Erwin operates El Limoncillo and several other farms with his children and grandchildren. The family is passionate about turning their success into community-building opportunities by providing housing, meals, healthcare, and education to their workers and their families.