Francisco Mena & Finca Sumava de Lourdes: Pioneering Costa Rican Speciality Coffee
Francisco Mena has been a cherished friend and a cornerstone of our Costa Rican coffee journey. His influence extends far beyond our own offerings. He has played a pivotal role in shaping Costa Rica’s global reputation for exceptional speciality coffee.
From Bike Messenger to Coffee Visionary
Francisco’s coffee story began humbly, zipping through Costa Rica’s mountainous terrain on a bicycle, collecting green coffee samples. Over the years, he worked nearly every job in the green coffee supply chain, gaining a deep understanding of the industry from the ground up. His passion and persistence led him to co-found Exclusive Coffees in 2008, a boutique green coffee exporter that has become instrumental in connecting Costa Rican micro-mill producers with speciality roasters around the world.
Exclusive Coffees now represents over 90 micro-mills and provides essential services such as milling, quality control, education, and market access. Francisco was also a key figure in Costa Rica’s “micro-mill revolution”, which empowered smallholder farmers to process and market their own coffees, dramatically improving quality and traceability.
The Dream of Becoming a Producer: Finca Sumava de Lourdes
In 2015, Francisco realised his dream of becoming a coffee producer with the establishment of Finca Sumava de Lourdes, located in the highlands of Lourdes de Naranjo in Costa Rica’s West Valley. The farm, sitting at elevations between 1,670 and 1,790 metres above sea level, is a model of innovation, sustainability, and quality.
Sumava is actually composed of two farms: Finca Monte Llano Bonito and Finca Monte Lourdes, divided by a road and meticulously organised into plots by variety. The farm is managed by Mario Mena and is known for its ecological practices, including the use of eco-pulpers, retention fields for water recycling, and organic fertilisation based on detailed soil analysis.
Award-Winning Excellence
Just 18 months after taking over the farm, Francisco won Costa Rica’s Cup of Excellence in 2016 with a Caturra lot processed using an innovative “sweet sugar” fermentation method. This involved reintroducing “honey water” into the fermentation process, intensifying the coffee’s natural sugars and resulting in a cup described as complex, floral, with notes of molasses and blueberry. It scored 93.41, one of the highest scores in the competition’s history.
A Living Laboratory of Coffee Varieties
Francisco’s love for experimentation is evident in the wide array of varieties grown at Sumava, including Villa Sarchi, Pacamara, Mokka, H3, SL28, Geisha, Java, Sidra, and Typica. The farm’s unique microclimate, shaped by cool winds from both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, slows cherry maturation and enhances sugar development and flavour complexity.
Processing Innovation and Community Impact
Sumava specialises in honey and natural processing, with drying done on raised beds, patios, and in greenhouses. The farm also experiments with aerobic, anaerobic, and lactic fermentations, pushing the boundaries of flavour development.
Beyond production, Sumava serves as a hub for community education. One standout initiative is a partnership with Spoon, a Costa Rican coffee company, offering baristas immersive training across the entire coffee production cycle. It’s a rare and inspiring opportunity that we wish had been available to us as baristas.
Producer Overview: Francisco Mena – Sumava de Lourdes
- Country: Costa Rica
- Region: West Valley
- Province: Alajuela
- Canton: Naranjo
- District: Lourdes de Naranjo
Farms & Ownership
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Farms:
- Finca Sumava de Lourdes (umbrella name)
- Finca Monte Llano Bonito (9 plots)
- Finca Monte Lourdes (6 plots)
- Owner: Francisco Mena
- Farm Manager: Mario Mena
Micromill & Exporter
- Micromill: On-site at Sumava
- Exporter: Exclusive Coffees (co-founded by Francisco Mena)
- Services Provided: Milling, quality control, education, market access, fermentation innovation
Elevation
- Altitude: 1,670 to 1,790 metres above sea level
Varietals Grown
- Villa Sarchi
- Pacamara
- Mokka
- H3
- SL28
- Geisha
- Java
- Sidra
- Typica
Processing Methods
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Primary:
- Honey process
- Natural process
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Experimental:
- Aerobic fermentation
- Anaerobic fermentation
- Lactic fermentation
- “Sweet sugar” fermentation (Cup of Excellence-winning method)
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Drying Methods:
- Raised beds
- Concrete patios (open-air and greenhouse)
