Coffee Plantation Tour

Antigua is internationally renowned for its high-quality arabica coffees. This region is located between three volcanoes in a valley with a climate perfect for cultivating coffee with elevations ranging between 4,600 and 5,600 feet. Antigua coffee is described as having a full and velvety body, a rich and lively aroma, and a fine acidity.

While we were in Antigua we visited the Finca Filadelphia coffee plantation. It was an extremely interesting tour at a beautiful location. Their coffee is under the label R. Dalton and is shipped all over the world with Japan as their largest consumer country.

Our tour began in the nursery. Each of these new arabica coffee plants has been hand grafted to the roots of another species with roots that grow deeper and are stronger than the arabica plant roots.

Only the red beans are ready to be picked. These need to be hand picked and because they ripen at different rates, the workers will make several passes over the area during the harvesting season. During harvesting season which will begin soon, they hire hundreds of workers. They are paid by weight of the beans picked.

The coffee plants under a canopy of shade trees.

The beans are processed through machines to removed the outer layers and then the beans are spread out in the sun to dry. They are periodically raked to turn them over. The beans pictured are a lower quality as evidenced by some lighter colored beans in the mix.

Transporting beans from the warehouse to the coffee roasting and packaging building. Each bag weights 150 pounds.

Packaging operations