1/08 We are proud to announce that our farm, El Peten was certified organic this month by Biolatina, the Central and South American organic certifier. They are so taken with the farm they have asked to hold their inspector training there.
We hope to open the hotel in the next sixty days, and begin the permaculture seminars as well. The construction is moving swimmingly and the place looks great. The new bar and dining room for the hotel is looking fabulous.



Harvest is in full swing and we now have a total of almost 45,000 pounds of pergamino which translates into about 23,000 lbs of oro. We are about half way through the harvest. I am working on getting samples of green beans that have been dried and dehulled to toasters, both here and in the U.S. We had our first cupping at Sol Cafe, our dry beneficio, and by all accounts we have some excellent coffee! Chocolate, caramel, wood, medium acid and body, tiny bit astringent as it was the first pick, dry residual, and creamy. Overall, a very good showing for our first early pickings. Congratulations are in order! We should have samples in the next couple weeks. Young Ernesto, our farm manager, deserves much credit for learning so much, so fast from Byron.

9/07 Finca Java is pleased to announce the progress at El Peten on Lake Apanas. It is an organic coffee farm stretched out along over 2 km. of shoreline where Rio Juijuina flows into the lake. It is a fully producing farm, where in addition to coffee we will be producing organic beef, pork, chicken, eggs, milk, cheese, fruits, nuts, vegetables, There are fruit orchards from which we will make dried fruits and jellies and dried medicinal herbs and flowers The nursery is full of some 20,000 coffee plants, 10,000 hardwood trees, and ornamentals.
We have drilled a 250 ft deep well and installed a pump and pressure system recently. In the last few months we have planted about 8,000 hardwoods of various varieties and continue to germinate seed for future production. Our crew has been pruning the coffee plants, spraying the worm casting fertilizer which they are producing, and minerals on the plants in anticipation of the coming harvest of 30,000 pounds of coffee this year. We are furiously working on the installation of a new coffee depulper and complete remodel of the beneficio.