Maria Antonella Amoruso, Boquete-born mother of six, entrepreneur, and coffee lover, is at the helm of the five-plantation Lerida Coffee enterprise in Boquete, Panama, which spans the flagship Finca Lerida in Alto Quiel alongside estates Michella and Flora in Volcancito, and Amelia and Esplenderosa in Jaramillo.
Since taking over the 100-year-old legacy stewarded over three generations across three families, Maria has steered Finca Lerida toward global renown as a consistent Best of Panama producer of the highest-scoring lots within the Top 10 in both Geisha and Varietal categories.
Finca Lerida was founded in 1924 by engineer Toleff Bache Mönniche and his wife, Julia. It continued to thrive in the 1950s, supervised by Alfredo and Inga Collins, and through to the late 2000s with their sons Hans and Charlie.
In 2008, when Maria — who grew up witnessing her grandfather’s passion for coffee farming — met the opportunity to acquire Finca Lerida, she embraced it and has been dedicated to sustaining and amplifying its prosperity since.
Amelia Estate takes after the name of Maria Antonella’s great grandmother. In 2020, an Amelia Pacamara won 3rd Place at the Best of Panama. It spans 42 hectares of which 25% comprises preserved woodlands and 75% is dedicated to cultivation of different varieties apart from Pacamara, like Catuai, Typica, and Geisha following an agroforestry model.