Buying a farm or finca in Costa Rica
Coffee fincas in Costa Rica sit inland, mostly between 800 and 1,900 meters, and sell their fruit through a system regulated by the Coffee Institute (ICAFE). This page covers what a finca is, where the coffee grows, and how prices and agents work.
| Los Santos (Tarrazú, Dota, León Cortés) | Coffee between 1,200 and 1,900 m (3,940 to 6,230 ft); harvest November to March (ICAFE) |
|---|---|
| Valle Central | 800 to 1,600 m (2,625 to 5,250 ft); over 80% of trees between 1,000 and 1,400 m; harvest November to mid-March (ICAFE) |
| Valle Occidental (Naranjo, Grecia, Atenas) | 800 to 1,400 m (2,625 to 4,590 ft); harvest November to February (ICAFE) |
| Coffee law | Law 2762 of June 21, 1961, run by ICAFE |
| Prices | Not listed here: no public source with finca price ranges was found |
What a coffee finca is
A finca is a farm. Under Costa Rica's coffee law, ICAFE defines a producer as anyone with the right to farm a coffee plantation who delivers coffee fruit to a beneficio, the mill that receives, processes, sells and finances the coffee.
ICAFE's region pages give the growing belts. In Los Santos, which covers Tarrazú, Dota and León Cortés, coffee grows between 1,200 and 1,900 meters, mostly on small farms averaging 2.5 hectares, and is harvested from November to March.
In the Valle Central coffee grows from 800 to 1,600 meters, with more than 80% of the trees between 1,000 and 1,400 meters; the harvest runs from November to mid-March. In the Valle Occidental, around Naranjo, Grecia, Palmares, San Ramón and Atenas, it grows at 800 to 1,400 meters and is harvested from November to February.
ICAFE and the cooperatives
The Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (ICAFE) represents producers, millers (beneficiadores), exporters and roasters. Relations between them are set by Law 2762 of June 21, 1961 and its regulations.
ICAFE publishes a final settlement price (precio de liquidación final) for each beneficio after each harvest, per fanega of coffee fruit (400 liters). That is the price the mill pays the producers who delivered to it.
In the 2022 to 2023 harvest ICAFE counted 26,725 producers, 307 milling firms, 98 exporters and 55 roasters. Cooperatives ran 17 of the milling firms, 5.5% of the total, and processed 37.9% of the coffee fruit declared.
Prices and agents
This page does not list finca prices: no public source with price ranges for coffee land was found that could be cited.
This site does not sell property and takes no enquiries about it. An agent partner for Costa Rica has not been named yet.
Listings
No listings yet. A property appears here only with the agent's written listing, with the agent named on the page.