Don Pachi Estate & Café Real’s Connection
Café Real partners directly with Don Pachi Estate, a historic Panamanian coffee farm established in 1873, during the era of Gran Colombia. Located in Boquete, Chiriquí Province, the estate spans 62 hectares at altitudes between 1,350 and 1,650 meters, ideal for cultivating specialty coffee in nutrient-rich volcanic soil and unique microclimates near Volcán Barú.
Café Real is a single origin micro roaster/distributor based in Naperville, IL with Panamanian roots and an established company in Panama, Pacífico area allowing Café Real access to bring roasting profiles from Don Pachi estate and local roasting profiles giving our customers a variety palette of Panama’s top coffee’s.
Don Pachi Estate is renowned as the pioneer of Geisha coffee in Panama. In 1963, Francisco Antonio Serracín—known as “Pachi”—introduced the Geisha varietal to Panama for its disease resistance. Though initially underwhelming in yield, his innovative techniques—planting at higher altitudes and with wider spacing—allowed the varietal to evolve and express its unique flavor profile: floral, sweet, tropical, and complex, with jasmine, bergamot, and fruity acidity. This eventually earned Geisha coffee global recognition, with record auction prices and high specialty scores, including $111.50/lb at the SCAP Best of Panama in 2011, and a 96-point review in 2012 from Coffee Review.
Don Pachi Estate continues producing award-winning micro-lot Geisha coffees using natural and washed processes. Café Real proudly brings this heritage to the U.S. market with traceable, single-origin lots, including the Don Pachi Geisha Natural, described as elegant and juicy with notes of papaya, lychee, and jasmine tea, and a Typica variety with notes of milk chocolate, caramel, and yellow tropical fruits.
Café Real highlights the pioneers of Geisha coffee in Panama by honoring the legacy of the founders of Don Pachi Estate, showcasing their vital role in shaping the world’s specialty coffee landscape. Now run by the seventh generation, Don Pachi Estate remains the longest continuously operating coffee farm in Panama.
