"La Amistad" means "friendship" in Spanish, and this serves as a perfect description of the relationship between nature and humans in the Reserve.
La Hacienda La Amistad, situated near the Panamanian border in Las Mellizas, Costa Rica, serves primarily as a natural reserve, conserving approximately 10,000 hectares (just under 24,000 acres) of pristine rainforest. The landscape encompasses various forest types, ranging from Premontane Rainforest to Alpine Paramo. While some sections are allocated for coffee cultivation and organic agriculture, the majority is dedicated to conservation and ecotourism, with coffee plantations nestled among patches of forest, rivers, springs, and waterfalls to minimize impact on the diverse ecosystem. A significant portion, 95% of the land, is reserved for nature, while 5% is used for coffee and fruit production. The name "La Amistad," meaning "friendship" in Spanish, aptly reflects the harmonious relationship between humans and nature within the Reserve.
La Amistad Reserve is renowned as one of Costa Rica's most remarkable forests, hosting numerous endangered and rare species such as quetzals, macaws, toucans, jaguars, butterflies, insects, reptiles, tapirs, and monkeys, including the country's only nocturnal native monkey. Recognized by the United Nations and UNESCO as a biological corridor, World Heritage Site, and biosphere reserve, La Amistad serves as a guardian for the expansive 2.3 million-acre biosphere.
Since 1940, Hacienda La Amistad has operated an organic, shade-grown coffee estate within the rainforest it actively preserves. This coffee and fruit project is among the oldest and largest continually certified organic projects in the Americas, having embraced organic practices since its establishment in 1937. Roberto Montero, the owner of La Amistad's lodge and reserve, has been honored by The Smithsonian for his conservation efforts. Over the past 12 years, Montero has implemented changes in coffee and fruit production to achieve a zero-carbon footprint.
For over 67 years, the La Amistad Eco-lodge, Rainforest Reserve and Coffee Estate has been showing the world how to practice sustainable development, long before the term even existed. Their philosophy on sustainability and balance is, "Every day, we demonstrate how to integrate sound economic development with the best sustainable environmental and social practices." Shade raised coffee is known for its superior taste and symbiotic relationship with its surrounding environment. In La Amistad, the coffee plants are shaded by banana trees; this fruit is then harvested, some is sold fresh in Costa Rica, and the rest is dried and exported to the United States. The efficiency of this method is amazing - using banana plants provides the farm with another means of income, has a lesser impact on the environment, and the trees produce minerals and compounds that enrich the soil - yet another example of the harmonious nature of Hacienda La Amistad and its ecosystem.
It is truly a one of a kind gem and we feel so fortunate for our 23 years of business and personal relationships with both the farm and Roberto Montero.
