about Retana Y Anexos
Retana Y Anexos was acquired from Grace y Compañía Central América on June 13th, 1932, and has remained in the family's ownership ever since. Before that, it was owned by the Aguirre and Paul families. Originally, the property belonged to a group of friars, led by Father Retana, from whom the estate takes its name.
Initially, the land was cultivated with sugar cane for rapadura (a traditional Guatemalan sweet), dairy cattle, and woodlouse. Later, under the management of the Cofiño family and collaborators from Iowa State College, hybrid corn experiments were introduced, along with studies on avocado and macadamia cultivation. Eventually, the property became focused on coffee production.
Today, 154 acres are planted with coffee varieties such as Arabica, Yellow Bourbon, and Caturra, with an average annual production of around 2,500 bags of 100-pound parchment coffee. The property includes housing for approximately 20 families and funds education for workers' children at a rural school in San Bartolo. Education is also provided for children of families working with the farm. The estate has electricity, drinking water, and each permanent worker is given 1.5 manzanas (14,002 m² or 1.4 hectares) for cultivation.
The estate includes a natural woodland area, which has been reforested with regional cypress and pine. Over 45 hectares (111 acres) have been reforested, and there is also a small production of citrus fruits, particularly Washington oranges (Naval) and Persian lemons, as well as macadamia trees. In 2001, the Asociación de Productores de Café Genuino de Antigua was founded, and they are currently in the process of certifying their coffee as Genuine Antigua origin.
