About Us
What We Do
Our Team
Who we are
Finca La Amistad is a 95-hectare cacao farm in northern Costa Rica. “La Amistad” means friendship, and reflects what we feel for the land, the people and the nature of Costa Rica. We bought the land – with poor soil due to years of cattle ranching – in 1997. Today we operate a sustainable and innovative cacao farm. Around 60 hectares is used for cultivating cacao and around 10 hectares is used to grow native hardwood trees.
The remaining areas are protected for their exceptionally high biodiversity. Finca Amistad Cacao Lodge offers overnight accommodations for 20 guests and authentic local cuisine. In late 2020 we added our own boutique chocolate-making facility.
Our values are simple but essential: superior quality, fair working conditions, engagement in environmental and biodiversity issues, and strong partnerships with our customers and partners.
A friendly, dedicated team
Finca La Amistad is a family-run business originally founded by Ernst and Ruth Brugger. Their son, Simon Brugger, lives in Costa Rica with his family and manages the farm, lodge, and chocolate factory. Their daughter Kathrin Brugger assists the company from Switzerland. A key factor in our success is our local team at the farm. We employ a workforce of about 20, most of whom have been with us for many years and contribute significantly to our company’s ongoing development.
Our Partners
We are committed to building trusting relationships with customers who share our views on quality and sustainability.