The community of Santa Ana is one of the oldest, founded in 1936 by the Matey family who continue to be their principal pillar. It is located 7 1/2 miles from town. The access road is one of the most difficult, they made the road themselves, it has very steep and rocky inclines which makes it difficult to get their products out. They diversify their production with beans, corn, and coffee in association with plantains, citrus, fruit and wood trees, and trees for firewood. In addition, they raise poultry and pigs, which responds to their need for food self-sufficiency. As a community which was affected by the “big war” of the 1980s, abandoned by the State, the Matey family instead of taking over more land, was supportive of the community and provided land for the school, chapel, cemetery, and the health center. Due to their distrust of the State, because of the war they suffered and their relative geographic isolation, they make an effort to listen and understand what they hear before accepting it or refuting it. People from neighboring communities say that “they listen closely, and if they are suspicious of any word that you say, that doubt is not easy to overcome.” Their coffee is a testimony of the close relationship between trust and collective effort.

Province: Madriz

Municipality: San Juan de Río Coco

Number of member families / farms: 86

Altitude: between 2,625 to 3,937 feet above sea level

Coffee varieties: catimor, parainema and caturra

Process: pulped and washed; (they use the coffee pulp as fertilizer)

Fermentation: 18 hours in water tank

Drying: 10 days

Shade trees: Avocado, guava, loquat, laurel, cítrus.

Forest area: 204 acres

Labor force: Relatives in the community.