Many years ago, the land that is now Finca Peñasco was an open field used for cattle grazing.  Today, it has been restored to a more pristine condition, with native and citrus trees interspersed among the coffee.  Now, birds and butterflies make their homes in the finca and the soil has been stabilized.  The coffee is grown with a minimum of fertilizer and pesticide, always applied by hand and only where needed.  While neighboring properties are being converted from coffee plantations to vacation resorts, Café Elisa continues to harvest the traditional catuai coffee plants, providing employment for the native people, the Guaymí.  Many plantations use a method of harvesting akin to strip-mining, where all the coffee cherries are pulled off the tree at one time, ripe or not.  Café Elisa chooses to use a more expensive approach, picking only ripe cherries, even when that requires four or more visits to the same tree over several weeks.  The improved quality of the harvested bean results in a superior cup of coffee.  Come taste the difference at Café Elisa.