Don Rafa Farm is located in the small community of Las Margaritas in Chiapas, Mexico. This peaceful area, home to only 270 residents, lies in the southeastern region of the country, sharing borders with Guatemala. Chiapas benefits from a warm, tropical climate, and while rainfall decreases towards the Pacific, it is still suitable for growing coffee and other tropical crops. The diverse mountain ranges in Chiapas create a range of climates, at times cool and misty, fostering unique cloud forests like those in the Reserva Montes Azules, abundant with rare flora and fauna. This farm features two distinct coffee varietals: Pache and Geisha. The coffee has a bright and vibrant taste with fruity notes of white grape, juicy sweetness of cantaloupe and a subtle vanilla undertone.
Teddy Kim, a Korean coffee expert, discovered Finca Don Rafa in 2014 while searching for exceptional Mexican coffee. The farm, named after its previous owner, Rafael, had fallen into neglect. With almost no production and a local family barely surviving on its modest harvest, the farm was on the brink of being abandoned. Recognizing the potential of the land, Teddy moved his family to Mexico to fully immerse himself in the coffee-growing process. Once a thriving coffee plantation, known for varieties like Bourbon, Typica, and Maragogipe, the farm had been devastated by a coffee rust outbreak. Determined to restore it, he launched a rehabilitation project, replacing the damaged crops with resilient Pache varieties and introducing high-quality varieties like Geisha. To promote a sustainable ecosystem, he also planted fruit trees to provide shade and enrich the soil. His vision extends beyond producing exceptional coffee; he aims to revitalize the local community as well.
