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Overview

Matamoros family (name meaning the Moors Killer in Spanish language) has a long history plagued with struggle, sacrifice and the continuous toil for creating innovative approaches and alternatives for new business opportunities. Perhaps the most distinguishable aspect of this family has been the strength and formidable impact of the MATAMOROS woman, beginning with the birth of Dona Petronila Matamoros during the year 1690. (During colonial times. Dona was used before a name to respectfully address an individual of nobility). By 1928 and due to a crisis in coffee, the MATAMOROS, under the leadership of Don Jose Abraham Matamoros and his sons Guillermo and Juan Mercedes, decided to add value to their unique coffee by building a state of the art mill in the HACIENDA SAN RAFAEL farm. The mill. Bestowed the name Beneficio San Rafael, was situated at an altitud of 1,120 meters. (Ohoto form 1930). For approximately 40 years, the family milled coffee from their own farms (3.500 quintals a year) in addition to coffee from friends and neighbors, thereby processing and selling a total of 8,000 quintals annually. By 2001, don Efrain Matamoros, supported and assisted by his daughter Lydia, decided to process and market their own coffee crop 2004-2005 in a new, modern, compact and ecological wet and dry mill. Once again, the strength and determination of the MATAMOROS women helped forge the family business to seek innovative options for continual development and survival. New generations… Beneficio Monte Rosa S.A., is managed by the married couple Moreira Matamoros; Oscar Moreira is the responsible for operational and Ms Lydia Matamoros is the responsible for the quality, promotion and sales of the coffee produced on farms of their property. Both have been fully involved in the coffee-growing activity since the year 2001. Concentrating its efforts on a life project: COFFEE The idea of returning to the coffee roots came with the start of the third millennium, following the steps traveled by the ancestors to have a guide and follow the projected line, making a direct contact with clients abroad; offering a high quality product, with a classic ESTATE. The farm: All of the coffee farms own by the MATAMOROS family are located in the San Rafael District of Naranjo County, the farms form nearly a solid block comprising a total of 85 hectares (210 acres). Seventy hectares are planted entirely with CATURRA variety and the remainder with other varieties such as CATUAN, Costa Rica 95, etc. From the natural forest to the highest peaks of the coffee farms, natural pure water and crystalline springs flow throughout and drain into the Grande and Colorado Rivers. Orders stipulate to protect the natural springs with native vegetation including a strip 20 meters wide along the entire length of the river and creek banks. It is important to note that since 1934 the MATAMOROS family has long practiced national and sustainable use of hydroelectric resources; hence they are knowledgeable, advocates and promoters of conservancy in natural water deep reservoirs and water springs. The farm has a wide variety of trees that give shadow to the plantations such as: guachipelin, aguacatillo, guaba, cuaguiniquil, lorillo, etc. For all these reasons Monte Rosas mill is fully ecological, using very little water during the process and using the same water several times. The mill has a water treatment plant and tractors will collect and deposit the residual mud and suspended solids along with the cherry shells to a compost treatment 4000 m2 site.