NICARAGUA MARIO VILCHEZ SANTA GEMA

Mario starts his days with 30 minutes of meditation, followed by a karate workout. He attributes this discpline to helping him feel more centered and focused, allowing him to address challenges in a more thoughtful way. Several days a week, Mario makes the hour drive from Ocotal up to his farms in Mozonte, more often during the harvest season. He personally oversees all of the wet processing on the farm, and manages his workers like a coach manages a sports team. In fact, “Equipo Santa Gema” has been one of the more successful beisbol club teams in Mozonte. Mario put the team together with interested employees, mostly pickers and farm managers, and sees a lot of parallels between operating his two successful teams for business and sports.

The road from the small town of Mozonte up to the coffee growing areas is dusty and dry, surrounded by spindly pines and rocky terrain that wouldn’t appear condusive to coffee growing. The micro-climates in the mountains are partly due to natural springs that send rivers of fresh water down through the hills. These springs, along with more rainfall and humidity in general abruptly transform the landscape from arid to lush. Walking through the forests around Mario Vilchez’ farms is like a jungle hike, with elevation just over 1,400 masl keeping the temperature relatively fresh throughout the day. Red Catuai and Caturra make up the bulk of Mario’s production, along with some small amounts of Maragogipe, Maracaturra and a few other exotic varieties.