Nestled in the heart of Tarrazù, in a region known as Los Santos for its many villages named after saints, San Francisco is a small community of around 70 coffee producers. As members of the wider Coope Tarrazù, these growers cultivate Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties in one of Costa Rica’s most celebrated coffee-regions.
Founded in 1960, Coope Tarrazu represents more than 5,000 coffee-producing members across Costa Rica. Alongside producing some of the country’s most recognised coffees, the cooperative invests in renewable energy, water conservation and biodiversity protection, while supporting local education and childcare programmes that safeguard children within coffee-growing communities.
Through its Community Lots project, members can direct coffee premiums towards initiatives that benefit their communities, especially children. Casa de la Alegria (House of Joy), is a childcare programme providing safe, nurturing spaces for children of migrant coffee-picking families while their parents work during the harvest season.