Finca Agua Tibia has been in the Castillo family since 1886. This coincides with the creation of the Central American Brewery company which is largely credited with building the family’s immense wealth. Also in the family portfolio is sugar, finance, amusement parks and bottling Pepsi. Agua Tibia means ‘warm water’ in Spanish. This name pre-dates the Castillo ownership of the farm. With active volcanoes to the west of the area, it is likely that hot springs existed in the area historically. Agua Tibia is run under management by Erick de La Rosa, a 4th generation coffee producer who owns his own farm in Acatenango. He lives on site at Agua Tibia with his family and his primary job since 2011 has been overseeing all activities on the farm; with a focus on improving quality and yield. Geisha has only been planted here since 2019, while most of the farm Is planted out with Caturra, Pache, Bourbon Catuai and Mondo Novo. They are grown under the shade of ‘Ingas’ or ‘Ice cream bean’ trees. Harvest occurs between November and March, and employs over 200 people. Selective picking means the ripest red cherries are delivered to the mills where they are pulped. A 48 hour ferment is followed with a rinse in fresh clean water, and dried on patios for 14 days.