Aquiares, means “land between rivers” in the Huetar indigenous language, and Aquiares Estate is commonly referred to as “Aquiares Coffee and Community.” It is Costa Rica’s largest coffee farm and home to more than 1,800 people. Although established in 1890, the farm was transformed a century later when Alfonso Robelo fled the civil war in Nicaragua and began building the Aquiares Estate community on the enchanting slopes of the Turrialba Volcano.
Alfonso reimagined the relationship between the farm and its workers, evolving the farm into a small town where workers could purchase their own homes instead of renting them from the estate. That sense of ownership helped build a stronger, more stable workforce and remains central to Aquiares Estate today.
Now managed by Alfonso’s son Diego, Aquiares Estate has become one of Central America’s leaders in specialty coffee. Through excellent agricultural management, embracing new varieties, and experimental processing, the farm continues to push quality forward while remaining deeply committed to sustainability, carbon neutrality, and environmental research.
