Country: Costa Rica
Producer: Alan Vargas & Tomas Gutierrez
Farm: San Juanillo Platanillo
Region: West Valley
Variety: Marsellesa
Process: Red Honey
Altitude: 1,400–1,500m
Harvest: 2025

Finca V&G San Juanillo was founded in 2007 by agronomist Tomas Gutierrez and industrial engineer Alan Vargas. They purchased this farm in San Juanillo, Naranjo, with a shared vision of building a modern and sustainable model farm for coffee cultivation.
While grounded in a scientific approach, they actively adopt the best agricultural practices, including the introduction of hybrid varieties, advanced cultivation techniques, and precise fertilization. At the same time, they remain mindful of the environment—the farm is Rainforest Alliance certified.
As part of their commitment to improving quality, they have implemented a program to gradually replace traditional Caturra and Catuai varieties (both of which are highly susceptible to leaf rust) with more productive, rust-resistant varieties. Their aim is to establish a model farm for high-quality, sustainable coffee production through optimal crop management and soil utilization.

Their passion for coffee production remains strong. In 2018, they expanded the farm by acquiring an additional 8.5 hectares of adjacent land. Today, about 80% of the farm has been replanted with Marsellesa and other hybrid varieties, with production expected to increase over the next three years.
One of their major achievements was their first participation in the Cup of Excellence during the 2014–2015 harvest. With the new H1 (Central America Hybrid) variety, they placed 19th out of 144 coffees, and in the following 2015–2016 harvest, they again ranked among the top 44. With pride as high-quality coffee producers, they continue to invest in and innovate the V&G San Juanillo project to deliver the finest quality to their customers.

About San Juanillo Farm
Located at 1,400 meters above sea level, San Juanillo Farm is managed by Tomas and Alan with a scientific focus, conducting detailed soil and leaf analyses to guide cultivation practices. Based on these analyses, they identify the exact nutrients required by the farm, applying fertilizers three times per year, while striving to achieve sustainability.
Currently, Tomas focuses on cultivating climate-resilient varieties such as H1, H17, and Marsellesa. With an emphasis on sustainable agriculture, they have continued multi-year trials using various agricultural inputs to improve quality and productivity. One notable result was an increase of more than one point in cupping scores through the use of foliar biostimulants.

Red Honey Process
For H1 and Marsellesa varieties, the experts at Platanillo have chosen the Dark Honey process to highlight deeper flavors, sweetness, and a heavier mouthfeel. Harvested cherries are rested for 24 hours to promote fermentation until the fruit softens. They are then depulped while intentionally leaving mucilage on the parchment. Afterward, the coffee is dried on concrete patios for two days to halt fermentation, and finally moved to raised beds where it is dried for 15 days, with frequent turning to reach optimal moisture content.