Roger Ureña: From 15-Year-Old Farmhand to Costa Rica's Most Recognised Micro-Mill

Roger Ureña Hidalgo grew up on the coffee-covered mountain slopes of the Tarrazú growing region, watching his father and grandfather work the land. He planted his first coffee seedbeds at age 15 — not as a career choice, but because coffee farming was simply the fabric of life in the Dota Valley. His parents and grandparents were farmers; the knowledge passed from generation to generation without formal instruction.

For years, Roger sold his cherry to cooperatives at commodity prices — until those prices were no longer sustainable. The pivot came when he decided to build his own micro-mill on one of his farms, Finca Santa Teresa, rather than continue surrendering processing control. He chose the site carefully: facing the gentle afternoon sun, positioned on a slope where clouds move away quickly, providing the consistent drying conditions that honey and washed processing require. He installed a Penagos pulping machine, raised beds inside a greenhouse, concrete patios, mechanical dryers, and a warehouse. The result is Beneficio Santa Teresa 2000 — named for its elevation above 2,000 metres, one of the highest micro-mills in Costa Rica.

The El Toño Plot

El Toño is a specific plot within the Santa Teresa farm, situated at approximately 1,900 metres and above — where the combination of cool mountain air, natural shade, and slow ripening creates the aromatic complexity that distinguishes a plot-specific lot from a farm-wide blend. Tanat Coffee (Paris), one of the roasters carrying this lot, describes El Toño's Catuaí as benefiting from "a cool, mountainous environment and natural shade, promoting slow ripening and great aromatic complexity." The white honey process — where cherries are depulped with minimal mucilage retained (10–20%), then dried on raised beds in the Santa Teresa greenhouse — produces the clean, sweet, honey-bright character that has made Costa Rican honey lots a globally beloved specialty category.

Variety Diversity: Roger's Early Vision

Roger made an early decision that set Santa Teresa apart from most Costa Rican producers: he planted diverse varieties rather than limiting himself to the Catuaí and Caturra that dominated local production at the time. His reasoning was straightforward — the impact of variety on cup character is fundamental, and there was clearly a specialty market for more exotic expressions. Santa Teresa now grows Catuaí, Gesha, Typica Mejorado, Wush Wush, SL28, and others. Two of Roger's lots won at the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence in the same year: a washed Gesha (#7, later #10 in different seasons), and a Typica Mejorado honey from Finca Las Nubes. Alex, the fourth generation, has continued expanding the variety portfolio and deepening the direct-trade relationships his father built.

"In my personal opinion, I feel very proud of myself and my dad, and all the hard work we've done here at Santa Teresa." — Alex Ureña, fourth-generation producer

Carbon Neutral and Ecologically Certified

Santa Teresa 2000 is certified Carbon Neutral by Climate Impact Partners and participates in Costa Rica's Ecological Blue Flag Program — a national environmental certification for farms and businesses demonstrating measurable environmental stewardship. These commitments reflect the Ureña family's view that the land is not an asset to extract from but a legacy to maintain for the next generation.

Brew Guide