Nicaragua, Matagalpa, Matagalpa
Property code | 00014CA |
Category | Featured Properties / Coffee Farms / Farmland / New Releases |
Location | Nicaragua, Matagalpa, Matagalpa |
Sale price | US$ 750,000.00 |
Property Size: | 329 Acres / 189 Mzns / 133.25 Ha |
Total Built: | 22,058 sqft / 2,050 sqmt |
Road Condition: | 99% PAVED |
Distance from Province: | 1.5 hrs from Managua |
Elevation: | 2,625 –3,117 FASL (800 – 950 MASL) |
On a global scale, farmland is becoming a scarce resource; the purchase of productive farmland will enable you to own a stake in the global food supply chain. The global demand for coffee and agricultural products keeps growing.
This beautiful Coffee Farm is located only 31.1 miles / 50 kms away from Matagalpa City, in the central mountainous region of Nicaragua - Matagalpa, Central America, at elevations between 2,625 –3,117 Feet (800 – 950 MASL).
Prime Location for coffee farming, only 31.1 miles / 50 kms away from Matagalpa city. The Coffee Estate totals 329 Acres / 189 Mzns surrounded by cloud forests. Elevations are perfect for growing quality coffees.
The Peñas Blancas Massif area is one of the most fertile areas for farmland in Nicaragua due to the: large flowing rivers borne in its Massifs, elevations and climate maintains vegetation green all year round. The current photos of the farm were taken during Nicaragua’s driest season 1 month before rainy season, and it’s evident that the coffee trees look green, leafy and full of green cherries. In other areas of Nicaragua where coffee is also grown coffee trees are just starting to flourish, here most of the trees already have the green cherry developed, so ripening of the cherry will happen sooner.
The coffee plantation is made up of 104.4 Acres / 60 mzns of coffee at elevations between 2,625 –3,117 Feet (800 – 950 MASL). The coffee variety being grown in this farm is Catimore which is highly resistant to Rust.
Currently this coffee farm is producing approximately 80,000 pounds / 800 qqs of green coffee / raw coffee in 104.4 Acres / 60 mzns. This coffee farm could be driven to produce 160,000 pounds / 1,600 qqs to 200,000 pounds / 2,000qqs of green / raw coffee.
The Agroforestry system in this Coffee Farm helps preserve hundreds of bird species, deer’s, wild cats, howler monkeys, sloths, owls, and other wildlife species. Not to mention the preservation of water springs.
INFRASTRUCTURE: The Coffee Estate has:
1 two stories home (5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 areas for laundry, living room, dinning room, and kitchen) 1,743 sqft /162 sqmt
1 Admin Office 258 sqft / 24 sqmt
10 warehouses sum a total 4,691 sqft / 436 sqmt
22 worker homes sum a total of 5,681.31 sqft / 528 sqmt
1 workers Dorms 1,033 sqft / 96sqmt
1 Stable 4,304 sqft / 400 sqmt
1 Wet Mill 2,152 sqft / 200 sqmt with 5 coffee pulping machines ran with a stationary diesel motor capacity: 3000 pounds per hr / 30 qqs per hr
6 coffee fermentation tanks
1 honey waters tank
2 submergible pumps
1 Antique air-drying wood machine 517 sqft / 48 sqmt
4 garages for 1 pickuo truck and 3 trucks sum a total 1,560 sqft / 145 sqmt
1 Concrete water basin holds 82,500 galons / 1,600 barrels of water for growing Tilapia.
1.24 miles / 2 kms of internal roads approximately.
Electricity: The grid runs inside the farm.
SOILS: Clay Loam / Rich Volcanic Soils
WATER SOURCES: A river is born inside this coffee farm, 3 water springs, and 3 water creeks, and a natural lagoon. Good rain patterns (1,500- 1,600 mm/year).
CLIMATE: The Farms location provides the perfect conditions to produce quality coffees: cool temperatures 59 – 75.2 F average (15-24 C)
ELEVATION: The coffee is grown at elevations ranging from 2,625 –3,117 Feet (800 – 950 MASL).
COFFEE VARIETY: The best quality coffee variety is planted in the farm –Catimore. This coffee variety exhibits an outstanding cup of quality. The coffee plantation density is 2,012 coffee plants / Acre or 3,500 plants / Mzn.
All these factors help to create a unique and outstanding cup of coffee showing a pronounced acidity, strong body, and sweet aroma, the finest coffee Nicaragua has to offer.
PERSONNEL: 15 employees -fixed positions and 100-150 coffee pickers only hired during the harvest season.
OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
1. Cattle Ranching: 87 acres / 50 mzns with pastures; paddocks, stables for 100 animals
2. Bananas: Patriota and Filippino, 696 plants per acre / 400 plants per mzn
3. Corn and beans.
4. Malanga.
5. Precious Woods
PROCESS
Our high ground coffees are processed using the Wet Method which is considered the process of higher quality and is traded at a higher price level.
Sorting and cleaning are necessary after harvesting the ripe cherries. After sorting and cleaning, the pulp is removed from the cherry. This process is the main difference between dry and wet methods, as the flesh is separated from the fruit before drying. The step is referred to as "pulping".
The pulping is done by machine - the cherries are pressed between fixed and moving surfaces. The flesh and the skin of the fruit remain on one side, the beans still enclosed in their parchment on the other side. The distance of the moving surfaces is constantly adapted so that the beans are not damaged.
Next, the coffee cherry's mucilage is removed through fermentation. Finally, the beans are dried, either in the sunlight or using forced-air drying.
In our case, the coffee beans are sun-dried in a Coffee Mill of our choosing. There are many Coffee Mills in Matagalpa which provide that service.
Labor in Rural Nicaragua is the cheapest in Central America starting @ $0.92 / hr.
Call/text for details: US +1 (202)-241-3184 ; Nicaragua +(505) 8354-4534 (Whatsapp - phone calls)
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7
Ephesians 6:10-18
Peñas Blancas Massif
Nicaragua has plenty of spectacular yet rather unexplored and unknown tourist destinations. A large mountain mass, known as the Peñas Blancas Massif, located in the northern departments of Jinotega and Matagalpa, is one of these stunning places where few people have heard of. However, this area provides plenty of attractions for tourists, including beautiful rain forest, large waterfalls, superb viewpoints, and interesting rural communities. With this Special we aim to increase the public’s knowledge of a destination that has certainly a lot of tourism potential.
The Peñas Blancas Massif
A massif is a section of the earth’s crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In other words, it is a region or an area that is visibly moved by the earth’s tectonic forces, much like a mountain but generally as a more separated formation, due to the fact that the area is lifted as a whole. The Peñas Blancas Massif is part of the larger Isabelia Mountain Range, which stretches along the Jinotega department, forming a natural separator of on one side the Bocay and Coco Rivers (and their tributaries) and on the other side the tributaries of the Tuma River.
The massif is situated in both the Jinotega and the Matagalpa department, covering in total three different municipalities (La Dalia and Rancho Grande in Matagalpa, and Cuá-Bocay in Jinotega). In November 1999 the government declared this area, measuring 115.54 Km², a Natural Reserve, in order to protect the primary forests and the important role the area plays in the water balance of a much larger region.
The Peñas Blancas Massif is most notorious for the steep cliff-like walls that arise from the earth’s crust. The presence of calcium gives some of these walls a white color, which explains the name (Peñas Blancas means White Rocks). Due to these particular geographical formations the ecosystems that are present are rather enclosed and therefore capable of housing endemic animal or plant species.
Nature
One of the most important attractions of the area is the spectacular natural setting. Not only does the massif hold pristine forest areas, but there are also other aspects that make this a natural hotspot. The Peñas Blancas Massif is part of the huge Bosawas Biosphere Reserve, which is the largest natural reserve in Central America. The massif therefore holds an important role in safeguarding the biosphere’s biodiversity and ensuring survival of species that live in the particular habitats that the Peñas Blancas reserve houses. Cloud and rain forests are found in this area, which are fragile yet very important forest types that are threatened throughout the world. The region is situated at altitudes between 800 and 1,745 meters above sea level, and the parts located above 1,000 meters receive between 1,200 and 2,500 mm of precipitation per year. The rainy season extends from May until February (although this pattern has been changing unpredictably in the past years), and unlike virtually all other parts of Nicaragua there is not one single period of hot summer days in the Peñas Blancas Massif. Although the sun does brighten the day every now and then, there is no such thing as a prolonged dry and sunny period. The median temperatures range between 20 and 24 °C. The heavy rainfall makes the region an important chain in the water balance. Streams, creaks, and waterfalls are among the most common natural elements here, and water from this area feeds several of Nicaragua’s most important rivers, the Coco River and the Rio Grande, which both ultimately empty in the Caribbean Sea. Consequently, protecting the natural processes and the water quality is not only a local issue, but rather of national importance.
A major part of the vegetation at the Peñas Blancas Massif is evergreen, meaning that leaves are not shed and the tree leaves maintain their green color throughout the year. Due to the high fertility of the soil and the abundance of water, vegetation is abundant and often measures an impressive size. Whereas lower mountain forests generally have trees that reach a height of 30-35 meters, the trees in this area can measure up to 50 meters. Vegetation that can be found at Peñas Blancas includes trees like Black Oak, Granadillo and Walnut Trees, as well as giant tree ferns, orchids, bromeliads, heleconias, and palm trees. This large variety of beautiful plants and trees make it spectacular to hike in this area.
When it comes to both flora and fauna there have been few scientific investigations and an exact list of neither plant nor animal species can be given. However, among the animals that have been identified are many mammal species including monkeys (White-headed Capuchin, Mantled Howler Monkeys, and Spider Monkeys), jaguars, pumas, tapirs, and pacas, among others. Plenty of bird species have also been identified, including flycatchers, hummingbirds, parakeets, solitaires, tanagers, warblers, and wrens. A rare bird species that can be found in the Peñas Blancas Massif and only at a few other sites in Nicaragua is the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), which breeds at higher elevations in the cloud forests. The Quetzal population is expected to be relatively large but loss of habitat makes it hard for this beautiful bird species to maintain its population at this level. For more information about birdwatching, be sure to read our Birdwatching Special.
A wide variety of frogs and toads can also be found at Peñas Blancas, and often species are seen that are not found at many other places in Nicaragua. Again, lack of investigation makes it unsure to say if there are any rare if not endemic species. This also applies to the reptiles that live here, including snakes and lizards.
The communities living at Peñas Blancas
The fertility of the soil and the abundance of water made the massif an interesting place to settle. Thousands of years ago this area was inhabited by indigenous tribes (mostly Miskito and Mayagna people), but during times of the Spanish conquest these tribes fled to what is currently the RAAN department (Waspan, Siuna, etc.) and the area was uninhabited for a while. However, families from the Jinotega and Condega areas started to migrate to this region and currently there are some 280 families living in the Peñas Blancas Massif.
The people in the region have traditionally been dedicated to farming activities, which is why a certain part of the massif was used as farmland. The main products were coffee and bananas, which made the local economy vulnerable as it depended on these two products only. In recent years, however, things have been changing.
Since the year 2000 the communities have undergone a process of setting up cooperatives, with the support of organizations that operate in this area. There are five different communities, and each community has its own cooperative. These cooperatives are characterized by a high degree of commonly organized and shared activities, aiming to benefit the community as a whole, involving each family in the different activities.
The principal organization that is present in the region is the Centro de Entendimiento con la Naturaleza (CEN), which aims to stimulate investigation and development of institutional indigenous villages, municipalities, and rural organizations. The CNU has investigation centers in Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, and its main goals at Peñas Blancas are to protect the water sources and the natural environment, while conserving and restoring indigenous aspects and promoting sustainable development of the rural communities.
One of the consequences of the efforts of the CNU has been the introduction of agricultural diversification, which means that farmers in the area nowadays not only plant bananas and coffee, but a larger variety of products. This makes the producers less vulnerable to price changes, diseases, and bad seasons, while also improving the sustainability of the production, as the soil is less intensively used. Instead of planting on large tracks of farmland, the CNU has introduced a form of planting agricultural products within the secondary forest that has replaced the previous pasture area. The first harvests of tomato, potatoes, cabbage, and pepper have shown that this method indeed yields the same or better results as the previous methods, while significantly increasing the sustainability.
The abundance of water and the well-conserved natural setting have furthermore made this a sanctuary for the Maya people. In the beliefs of this ancient tribes water is one of the principal elements, and every year people from several other Latin American countries (mostly Guatemala) travel to the Peñas Blancas Massif to practice ancient rituals, honoring this sacred area.
During Eastern Week the local population bathes in the rivers and in the streams, which is common in Nicaragua during this particular week (see our Eastern Week Special). A not so common practice involves covering the body with white clay found in the area, in order to heal and improve the skin, which is also done during the Eastern Week.
Getting to know the rural population at the Peñas Blancas Massif is certainly an interesting option for visitors. The local population knows a lot about the area and about local practices and habits, which can certainly be interesting to foreign visitors. Options to stay at the homes of local farmers (more information below) should certainly be considered when interested in learning more about the way of living in this area.
Visiting the Peñas Blancas Massif
Tourists are welcome to visit this unexplored area, and although it takes some more effort to visit than other, more developed areas; the Peñas Blancas Massif is certainly worth the effort for people interested in nature that do not sun a certain touch of adventure.
When it comes to tourism infrastructure the Alliance for Rural, Community-Based Tourism (Alianza para el Turismo Comunitario Rural de Peñas Blancas) is trying to set up lodging options in all five communities, and so far there are possibilities in two different communities. There is one eco-lodge in the community of Peñas Blancas (this is the name of the community), providing a rustic, simple ambiance, and there are also lodging options at the homes of farmers in this same community and in the community called Valle de los Lyra. Visitors should not provide luxury or a wide variety of amenities, but tourist can count on the warm hospitality of their hosts.
Two main types of activities form the main attraction in this area: exploring the stunning natural settings and getting to know the rural population and their way of living. People interested in nature and hiking can find a wide array of activities, involving the exploration of the forests, waterfalls, viewpoints, and other natural attractions. Due to the fact that tourists are just beginning to arrive here, there are not many well-prepared trails or visitor centers like at other natural reserves. However, there are quite some hiking options varying in length and difficulty.
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