At Hacienda Alsacia, world-renowned agronomists create hybrid coffee trees designed to withstand threats from climate change. The farmer support center helps area farmers, regardless of whether they grow coffee for Starbucks, learn how to best feed their soil for optimum conditions. Above all, Hacienda Alsacia is a place of people, community and connection.
Located on the slopes of the Poas volcano in Costa Rica, visitors will be able see coffee tree seedlings, pick coffee cherries with their own hands, and watch as the cherries are milled and dried.
“We want people to come here and not just learn about coffee, but immerse themselves in the experience,” said Eduardo Meza, Director of Store Design. “We weren’t building a project, we were building relationships.”
The people at the heart of the farm are represented everywhere at the visitor center. They are depicted in larger-than-life vibrant murals by Peruvian artist Jade Rivera. They are in the center’s pillows, made by women at a local co-op. They are in the wooden rocking chairs created by Mario Arias, the son of a coffee farmer, and his team from Mad Living. And of course, they are represented in the coffee, grown, picked, dried and roasted right there on the farm, ready to be served. Everything is driven by a balance of authenticity, context and community.