Reforestation at Finca El Peten

One of the many benefits of cultivating organic coffee is the symbiotic relationship a healthy harvest has with the trees that shade the plantation. At Finca Java, we feel blessed with the opportunity to incorporate reforestation into our master plan for Finca El Peten. We have been planting indigenous hardwoods for the last four years, with 9,000 going into the ground this past month alone. Cedro Pochote, Nogal, Guanacaste, Ceiba, Caoba, Acacia, and Cedro Real are among the varieties that have recently been planted throughout the 250 acres of Finca El Peten. The largest trees on the property are the glorious Elequeme trees, which are found providing the highest canopy of shade in every one of our coffee plantations. All of our trees provide not only shade, but also micro-environments for birds, squirrels, and other animals, insects, and flora to thrive and repopulate the area. These communities of wildlife live within our coffee and all contribute in different ways to the quality of our beans, and thus, our triple bottom line. There is even talk of monkey sightings in Los Robles…now wouldn’t that be something! Maybe this whole idea of conserving and expanding the green corridors of our communities isn’t such a bad idea after all.

…And although our vegetable garden is not exactly reforestation, it is going off these days with three kinds of lettuce, beets, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, jalepeno peppers, broccoli, oranges, passion fruit, mandarins, limes, malanga, yucca, and celery ripe for the pickin’.

…And although the herb garden isn’t exactly our vegetable garden, it definitely deserves a highlight, with mint, two kinds of basil, 3 kinds of chili peppers, rosemary, mint, two kinds of oregano, cilantro, lemon grass, and mint – yes, there’s a lot of mint!

Left to Right: 7 acres of reforestation completed on the pasture surrounding our coffee mill, overlook of vegetable garden (notice the yellow placards to keep birds from eating the tomatoes), and a look at our herb garden with Lake Apanas in the background.