[Video Guide] Sustainability in Action: Inside Volcanica Coffee’s Visit to Finca Las Mercedes, Costa Rica

Volcanica Coffee’s Director of Coffee, Aaron Contreras, travels to Finca Las Mercedes in the lush mountains of Costa Rica to meet the farmers behind one of our most cherished microlots. What follows is more than a sourcing trip — it’s a story of sustainability, family legacy, and the deep connection between people, land, and coffee.

At Volcanica Coffee, sustainability isn’t just about preserving what we have — it’s about ensuring the longevity of coffee for generations to come. Our Director of Coffee, Aaron Contreras, has made it his mission to travel the world in search of exceptional microlots and to connect directly with the people who make them possible.

On his latest trip, Aaron journeyed to Finca Las Mercedes, a fourth-generation family farm nestled in Costa Rica’s central highlands. The farm is run by Mela and Luis, a husband-and-wife team whose innovation and care have turned their small operation into one of the country’s top-producing micromills — and a model of sustainable coffee farming.

“We start every morning around 5:30,” Luis explains. “By 6:00, everyone is hand-picking ripe red cherries — only the sweetest, most mature ones. It’s slow work, but that’s what makes specialty coffee so special.”

Because Costa Rica’s mountainous terrain makes mechanized harvesting impossible, every cherry at Finca Las Mercedes is picked by hand. This careful selection process ensures that only the best fruit makes it to your cup.

Beyond harvesting, the couple is pioneering new approaches to regenerative agriculture. Shade trees now stretch over rows of coffee plants, creating a micro-ecosystem that improves soil health and biodiversity.

“We’re moving away from monoculture,” says Luis. “Too much sun hurts the plants, but too much shade can cause fungus. So we trim the trees and use the branches as organic matter to enrich the soil.”

They’ve also begun planting Caturra-Catuai H3 hybrids, developed for greater resistance to disease and shifting climates — crucial steps for the farm’s long-term survival.

Finca Las Mercedes has been in the same family for four generations, and their son Miguel will soon become the fifth generation to care for the land.

“It’s not just farming,” Mela says. “It’s our identity.”

Climate change, soil depletion, and market pressures pose real challenges, but the family is determined to adapt and thrive. By restoring soil fertility, diversifying crops, and reintroducing native trees, they’re preparing the land for future generations.

Aaron’s visit ended over breakfast at La Casona — with avocados from the farm, fresh eggs from a neighbor, tropical fruit, and coffee grown just outside the window.

“Sustainability,” Aaron reflects, “is a lasting connection — between farmers and the earth, between Volcanica and its producers, and between quality people and quality coffee.”

Through partnerships like this, Volcanica Coffee continues to strengthen the bridge from farm to cup, ensuring every sip supports not just great flavor — but a thriving global coffee community.

Full Video Transcript: 

My name is Aaron Contreras, and I’m the Director of Coffee at Volcanica Coffee. I began sourcing coffee for Volcanica in 2018 when I realized that many microlot farmers would never be discovered in such a vast global market.

Most people think sustainability means maintaining what we have now — but in truth, the efforts we make today will shape the coffee world of tomorrow. Sustainability ensures longevity — for farmers, for the land, and for the future of great coffee.

Many people haven’t seen this side of Volcanica because much of our work happens quietly, building meaningful partnerships across the coffee supply chain.

I’m in San José, Costa Rica, but today, we’re heading out to Finca Las Mercedes, where we’ll meet our farmers — Mela and Luis.
Traveling allows us to see beyond numbers and spreadsheets. It’s part of human nature to visit new places, meet the people behind our coffee, and build genuine connections.

Aaron: Hey, Mela! Luis!

Mela: Hey, Aaron! Welcome back!

Luis: Good to see you again!

Aaron: How’s the harvest this year?

Luis: It’s been great! We can’t wait to show you everything.

Mela and Luis make quite the team. Luis has an agronomy background and recently earned an MBA, while Mela comes from hospitality. Together, they’re transforming Finca Las Mercedes into one of the highest-producing micromills in Costa Rica — and a world-class coffee destination.

For most coffee producers, showcasing their crop as a microlot is rare. Many farmers sell their cherries to cooperatives, where beans from different farms are blended together. That’s why this side of Volcanica’s mission matters — we aim to recognize farmers globally and bring their unique coffees directly to our customers.

Out among the coffee trees, where it all begins, I wanted to understand more about their work.

Aaron: So this is where it all starts — where the magic happens. I’ve seen orange farms that use machines to shake the trees. From what I understand, you hand-pick everything here, right?

Luis: Yes, in Costa Rica everything is hand-picked. The terrain here is mountainous, so machines can’t reach these slopes. We rely entirely on people.

Aaron: Wow, that sounds like hard work. How much can you harvest in a day?

Luis: It’s definitely tough. We start every morning around 5:30, and by 6:00 a.m., everyone’s picking. Around 3:00 p.m., we gather everything and load it onto the truck. For specialty coffee, we only harvest the really red cherries — the ripe ones. They have the highest sugar content, and that’s what creates a sweet, complex flavor later.

Aaron: So pickers have to be extra careful?

Luis: Exactly. We tell them, “Only red cherries.” They go slowly and gently, selecting one by one. Every stage of this process has its science — everything we do here is for a reason.

Aaron: I see a lot of shade trees around the coffee plants. Is that intentional?

Luis: Yes, producing coffee has changed a lot over the years. We’re planting more shade trees now to build a healthier ecosystem. Climate change and soil erosion are real issues, so we use these trees to protect the plants and enrich the soil.

Mela: But we have to manage the shade carefully. Too much can cause fungus problems. When that happens, we trim branches and leave them on the ground — they become natural fertilizer for the soil.

Aaron: I’ve heard you’re experimenting with new coffee varieties. Is that to help with disease resistance?

Luis: Yes. For years, we planted Caturra-Catuai varieties, but now we’re trying Caturra-Catuai H3 hybrids. They’re healthier and more resistant to diseases. After 40 years of farming, we need plants that can handle new challenges like changing rainfall and higher temperatures.

Aaron: You mentioned this is a fourth-generation farm?

Mela: Yes — my husband and I are the fourth generation, and our son Miguel will be the fifth. It’s something we’re very proud of. Many of our neighbors are family, too — cousins who still work on nearby farms.

Luis: The legacy continues. For us, this is more than a business — it’s our home.

Hearing that made me realize how much love and history live in every cup of coffee. Specialty coffee connects generations — it’s not just farming; it’s identity.

Aaron: You mentioned climate change earlier — when did you start noticing the effects?

Luis: We’ve seen it for years. These soils have been growing coffee for four decades, so they’re naturally losing nutrients. We’ve made a serious commitment to rebuilding soil health — adding shade trees, reintroducing organic matter, and protecting biodiversity.

Mela: When my father planted, it was all monoculture — just rows of coffee with no trees. It worked back then because the soil was rich, but now we must rebuild what was lost to keep the farm healthy for future generations.

Aaron: That’s incredible — your challenge isn’t just growing coffee, it’s preserving the land for the sixth and seventh generations, too. Some of the plants here are over 40 years old — older than me! It’s amazing to see so many generations working on the same land, often on the very same plants.

Later that morning, we joined Mela at La Casona, where she prepared breakfast — avocados from the farm, fresh fruit, bread, eggs from a neighbor, and, of course, coffee from just outside the window.
Sustainability, I’ve learned, is more than a buzzword. It’s a lasting connection — between farmers and the earth, between Volcanica and its producers, and between people and the coffee they create.

At Volcanica Coffee, we believe that quality people make quality coffee, and that’s why we’ll keep building these relationships — from farm to cup.