PA Finca Lerida

Finca Lerida

Finca Lerida’s reputation is as old as the first coffee that Panama exported to Germany back in 1929. The high quality coffee this exceptional plantation produced made its international buyers realize that there was more to Panama that just it’s Canal!  

The history is fascinating. After participating in the design and construction of the Panama Canal, Toleff Bache Mönniche, a Norwegian engineer travelled to the Highlands of Chiriqui in 1911. He was looking for a place to recover from his fourth attack of malaria contracted in the hot and humid lowlands of the Panama Canal. After sailing seven days in a small boat then a long ride on horseback, he arrived in the peaceful, beautiful area on the outskirts of the Baru Volcano and the high ridges of the Central Range. Located 10 km uphill from Boquete. The area he settled at this stage was half grasslands and half tropical forest yearlong. This became Finca Lerida.

In 1924, he finally retired and along with his wife Julia moved to permanently to Finca Lerida. He built their house completely by hand in a Norwegian countryside style. This was followed by planting coffee while also designing and patenting the ‘sifon’. This device separated good beans from the bad, a totally new and innovative concept at the time.  The sifon is now used worldwide by coffee plantations and is naturally still working on the estate! 

Today, Finca Lerida is one of the oldest coffee farms in Panama. The family farm was sold to the Collins family in 1957. The family, especially John Collins, were instrumental in changing worldwide perception of coffee in Panama. At the early Best of Panama competitions in the early 2000s, Finca Lerida set the standard for what coffee in Panama can taste like. These were the days before the famous Geisha variety was found in Panama.

As well as growing coffee, Lerida Estate incorporates a beautiful natural reserve with a stunning variety of flora and fauna. The carefully preserved area is surrounded by virgin forests and the current owners, the Amoruso family, have worked hard to balance a commitment to commercial interests with a commitment to protecting the environment. Toleff and Julia Mönniche would be proud.