Meet Angie, Mayra and Marlen

The Fadiva sisters, Angie, Mayra, and Marlen are exemplary entrepreneurs in the community of Los Santos.

Angie, Mayra and Marlen's family has a long history in coffee production. Their family mill, Fadiva - newly named to mean Family of Vargas y Diaz (their last names) - was the first micro-mill in the region. They were founded in 1905 and grew rapidly until they faced financial challenges which led to the collapse of the mill.

They said the banks didn't understand the coffee cycle (the income coming in during a very short period each year), and it posed challenges as they strived to grow their business.

The two sisters, Mayra and Marlen, and their sister-in-law, Angie, saw an opportunity 7 years ago. They rebranded and started the mill to become what it is today.

Their farm and mill located from 1450m to 1800 masl produce and process some of the most notable coffees in the region. The sisters, additionally, saw the slowly but steadily growing domestic consumption and identified an opportunity to increase local sales of roasted coffee. Soon after, they started roasting their own coffee.

"As much as we were involved in coffee production and processing, I felt like it was still very male-dominated. We loved coffee and still do, and wanted to do something with it. That is when it rang the bell in my head. I could combine my passion for cooking and experimenting, and the coffee!” says Angie.

Visual stories as a courtesy of Sierra Yeo of the Kore Directive

More about Fadiva Sisters’ Coffee:

Name of the mill: Fadiva
Region/Country: Tarrazú, Costa Rica
Altitude: 1,600 m above sea level
Coffee Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Process: Honey (mechanically pulped)
Notable Flavor note: milk chocolate, walnut, hazelnut, cooked apple.