Café Don Emilio is a family-run coffee farm located in San Luis, Pérez Zeledón. Since 2015, we’ve welcomed visitors to experience the tradition of artisanal coffee—grown, harvested, and processed with care, patience, and respect for nature. With a view toward Bahía Ballena and the warmth of our hospitality, we invite you to discover coffee as our grandparents taught us: from the root, with heart.
In 2015, Don Emilio and Doña Rita made coffee production their way of life. Through family sacrifice and hard agricultural work, they laid the foundation for what Café Don Emilio is today. Don Emilio used to roast small batches of coffee just for personal enjoyment, but thanks to the encouragement and support of tourists who gradually began visiting our village, a distant dream started to take shape.
Our brand was born from a campfire, a pot, and the desire to roast coffee every morning for six years. We fondly remember the moment when our first customers gifted us the labels for our product—the first sacks of coffee we offered to visitors. We also recall the days when we took the risk of selling at the Uvita and Bahía fairs, or when Deiner, the eldest son, led his first coffee tours. The fruit of these efforts became tangible the day we acquired our first coffee roaster, handcrafted by a local resident.
Challenges have certainly been part of our journey. The crisis of 2020 marked a turning point, forcing us to rethink many of our dreams and create new ones. Despite the difficulties, our family team emerged stronger, preserving the same essence that has defined Café Don Emilio from the beginning.
Today, the story continues with a united family committed to strengthening the project and supporting every member of the team. Our goal remains unchanged: to offer high-quality coffee to our customers. That’s why every step, from planting and maintenance to harvesting and processing each golden bean, from ripe cherry to ground coffee—is essential to ensuring the quality of our product. We craft each item with care and share it with every person who visits us, sending a piece of ourselves to homes across the world.
We carefully select the best coffee beans, which undergo a natural drying process to preserve their freshness and flavor.
Through a carefully controlled roasting process, we achieve the ideal balance of aroma and intensity that distinguishes our handcrafted coffee.
We grind beans with precision to achieve a texture that maximizes flavor and allows you to get the most out of each cup.
Every cup of coffee we serve is a masterpiece, with a perfect balance of flavor, aroma and texture that will make you want to come back for more.