Adelina Fallas

Coffee arrived in Costa Rica in 1779, introduced from Cuba to the Meseta Central (Central Valley). Thanks to the region's high altitude, cool climate, and rich volcanic soil, the crop thrived. The government actively promoted cultivation in the 19th century by offering free land to farmers, transforming it into the country's most valuable export and the bedrock of its economy. By 1829, revenue from coffee sales surpassed tobacco, sugar, and cacao. It was so vital to the nation's modernization that it earned the nickname el grano de oro, or "the golden bean".

Adelina Fallas is a fourth generation coffee producer who took over management of her mother’s farm at 18. Now a seasoned veteran of coffee production, she has expanded from cultivating into processing, and last year she began processing on behalf of neighboring producers at Amé Café micromill, offering a better-paying alternative to the large corporations in the region.