Meet the Farmers
Hely Chaparro
Meet Mr. Chaparro – Guardian of a Coffee Legacy. He is the proud owner of Santa Bárbara Farm and a third-generation coffee farmer. With deep roots in tradition, he personally oversees every step of the process — from cultivating and harvesting to roasting and packaging — ensuring that our specialty coffee makes its way from our mountains to Canada with care and quality.
Alba lucia rueda de chaparro
Meet Mrs. Chaparro, granddaughter of José Ángel Durán, who planted the first coffee trees at Santa Bárbara Farm over 100 years ago. After passing through several generations and leaving the family, the farm was repurchased in 2021 by her husband, Hely Chaparro, restoring Alba Lucía’s family legacy.
Gustavo & Socorro Chaparro
Santa Bárbara Farm was recovered thanks to the joint effort of two cousins, Gustavo and Hely Chaparro. Since childhood, they had worked side by side on their families’ coffee land, growing up surrounded by the traditions of their grandparents and continuing the legacy of five generations of coffee growers. Hely, together with his wife Alba Lucía, and Gustavo, with his wife Socorro, now carry the responsibility of preserving this family heritage. With passion and dedication, they nurture the land and produce specialty Colombian coffee, sharing with the world the result of more than 105 years of tradition, resilience, and love for coffee.
5th Generation Coffee Farmers
Meet Mrs Chaparro, granddaughter of Mr. Jose Angel Duran, who planted the first coffee plants at the Santa Barbara Farm. We are a family with 100 years of coffee tradition.
Seasonal Workers
From mid-September to December, we welcome our annual coffee harvest workers, continuing a generations-old tradition of handpicking only the ripest red cherries.
The four-month harvest is physically demanding, with pickers hiking up to an hour to reach the fields and working from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. At Santa Bárbara, we provide free accommodation and meals, and the fields are filled with laughter, songs, and camaraderie, turning hard labor into a joyful, shared experience of tradition and unity.
Alba & Pedro de Medeiros
he story of Santa Bárbara Coffee is the story of love, family, and legacy.
Alba, daughter of Colombian coffee growers, and Pedro, born in the Azores and raised in Canada, built their life between two worlds. In 2021, as Alba’s father reclaimed the family’s 105-year-old farm, they decided to honor that legacy and bring it to Canada.
In 2023, they founded Santa Bárbara Coffee Farm & Roaster to unite True North with True Coffee. Today, Alba leads the business while Pedro, now an expert barista, brings the art of coffee to life. Together, they share with Canadians not just coffee, but a heritage full of tradition, passion, and love.
It’s real specialty coffee, made by real special people
Our Process
We proudly use the WASHED process, producing coffee with exceptional brightness, cleanliness, and a genuine taste of our land
At Santa Barbara Coffee Farm, the secret to our exceptional coffee lies in the perfect harmony of land, bean, pure water, and sun.
Our fertile Colombian soil provides essential nutrients, nurturing each coffee plant from seed to harvest.
Carefully selected coffee varieties thrive in this rich environment, producing beans with deep, complex flavors.
Pure mountain spring water nourishes the plants, ensuring steady growth without impurities.
the warm Colombian sun ripens the cherries to perfection, allowing their natural sugars and aromas to develop fully.
Together, these elements create a coffee bean that is pure, vibrant, and bursting with flavor, delivering an unparalleled coffee experience in every cup.
Technical Sheet – Santa Bárbara Coffee
-
Category: Single-Origin Coffee
-
Origin: Santander Department, Colombia
-
Growing Area: Santa Bárbara Village (Galán) and La Fuente District
-
Farm: La Meseta
-
Owners: Hely Chaparro and Gustavo Chaparro
-
Cultivated Area: 12.5 hectares (specialty and ancestral coffee)
-
Altitude: 1,850 m / 6,070 ft
-
Soil Type: Naturally enriched soil from mountain rains, high in organic material
-
Coffee Variety: Shade-grown Arabica, high altitude (Castillo and Colombia varieties)
-
Harvest Period: October – December (one annual harvest)
-
Production Process: Pulped cherry, 12-hour fermentation, washed with crystal-clear water, sun-dried 4 days on cedar beds (parchment coffee)
-
Cup Profile:
-
Aroma: Fruity (citrus)
-
Flavor: Tangerine and orange
-
Aftertaste: Soft woody notes
-
Acidity: Citrusy (tangerine)
-
Body: Creamy
-
Sweetness: Pronounced, like panela
-
-
Roast: Medium-low (highlights aroma and flavor)
-
Grinding (Recommendation): Medium, grind just before brewing for optimal flavor and aroma extraction
-
Presentation: Whole bean; 500 g and 2.5 kg bags (special export packaging)
-
Production Capacity: 7,500 kg/year (7.5 tons)
-
Consumption Tips: Store in a cool, closed place; consume within 5 months
Harvest Season at Santa Bárbara
Our harvest season begins in September and runs through early December. During this time, we welcome seasonal workers who help us bring in the coffee cherries at their peak ripeness. It's also a special moment when family members living in Canada return to the farm to lend a hand, reconnect with the land, and be part of the harvest — a cherished tradition that brings generations together.