Finca Santa Cruz

The Argüello Enríquez family grows coffee at Finca Santa Cruz, a farm bordering the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve at 1400–1700 m.a.s.l.

José Argüello, the youngest member of the family, lives with his wife, Berenice Coutiño, and their three children, Emilio, José Manuel, and Federico. His interest in specialty coffee comes from a wish to show that Mexico can grow coffees that stand alongside the finest in the world.

Nine years ago, the family began producing specialty lots using set protocols for harvesting, fermentation, and storage. Each season they measure time, temperature, degrees Brix, and pH so every process can be evaluated and repeated with each harvest.

That attention to detail shows in their Cup of Excellence results. After developing a natural Gesha protocol in 2018, the family refined it in 2019 and won first place with a score of 93.07. They took first place again in 2021, and in 2022 a natural Gesha scored 93 points for another win. A honey Gesha placed second in 2023 with 90.69 points. In 2024, their natural and honey Gesha lots finished second and third. In 2025, a washed Gesha and a natural Gesha each won first place in their categories. In 2026, they entered the new experimental category with a natural Gesha fermented in a bioreactor under CO₂ pressure and won first place.

Finca Santa Cruz was the first farm in Mexico to win Cup of Excellence in three consecutive entries, and it holds the national score record. In 2022, they earned the highest score of any Cup of Excellence competition worldwide!

Processing methods

Finca Santa Cruz keeps extremely detailed records of each batch from every lot on the farm. Degree of brix is measured at picking and humidity is tracked throughout the drying process. Every batch is cupped separately to maintain strict quality control protocols to learn from experimentation and enable repeatability.

Washed process

The cherries are harvested at an average of 24° to 28° Bx, washed, and sorted by flotation in the washing channel. The whole fruits are fermented in tanks for 24 hours before pulping and fermenting for another 18 hours in mucilage. After fermentation, the coffee is washed to remove all remaining mucilage. Washed coffees are then pre-dried in the sun for two days on a patio with shade mesh, followed by 15 days of drying under 50% shade until reaching 17% moisture content. The coffee rested for seven days to stabilize its moisture before drying was completed to 11%. It then rested for 80 days before dry milling.

Natural process

The cherries are harvested during the full moon at an average of 26° to 28°Bx and rinsed in the washing channel to separate floaters, remove debris and hydrate the fruits. After rinsing, the cherries are placed on a patio covered with shade mesh to encourage slow oxidation during the first two days in the sun. They were then moved to the drying area under 30% shade for 18 days, until they reached 17% moisture. The coffee rested for ten days to stabilize its moisture before drying was completed to 11%. It then rested in storage for 130 days before dry milling.

Experimental honey

The cherries are harvested at an average of 27 °Bx and washed in the fermentation tanks. The whole fruits undergo 12 hours of oxidation in a barrel before being added to a stainless steel bioreactor with the coffee mossto collected from a previous alcoholic fermentation. The cherries are then pulped, pre-dried in the sun for two days, and dried under 50% shade for 27 days until they reach 18% moisture. The coffee rests for ten days to stabilize its moisture before drying is completed to 11%. It then rests in storage for 130 days before dry milling.

Healthcare and reforestation

The Argüello Enríquez family is planning two projects at Finca Santa Cruz that respond to needs in the surrounding region: bringing medical care closer to local communities and restoring native forest.

The farm sits in a remote area where rough roads and limited electricity and phone service make it difficult to transport and care for people who fall ill. The nearest hospital is three to four hours away, depending on road conditions.

Because several communities live near the farm, Finca Santa Cruz is well placed to serve as a local point of medical care for residents, neighboring producers, and farm workers. The family’s main project is a small clinic staffed by a full-time doctor and equipped to treat minor conditions, provide first aid, and, in more serious cases, offer initial care and stabilization before transfer to a hospital.

The family also plans to grow native tree species in the farm’s nursery to support reforestation. These trees will help restore land that was once planted with coffee and is now returning to forest, along with other areas on the 300ha farm which are set aside for conservation.

Through this work, the Finca Santa Cruz aims to support the well-being of their community and protect the landscape they share.