Panama - Janson X GW 26 - 191

Three generations of the Janson family run Janson Coffee, with Kai and Jannette Janson of the second generation and Jannette’s son, Miguel, at the forefront. Their coffees have received multiple awards and auction placements at the Best of Panama and are often featured in the cups of coffee champions on the world stage.

Most recently, their coffees were featured in the cups of the 2026 World Brewers Cup 3rd-place finisher, the 2026 China Siphonist Champion, and the 2025 Australian Barista Champion. At the 2025 Best of Panama, their coffees placed 9th in the Geisha Washed category and 20th for Geisha Natural.

The Janson family’s work in coffee began in the mid-1980s, when the first generation recognized the potential of their land for coffee cultivation after receiving guidance from agricultural engineers. In 1990, Michael, Carl, Ricardo†, and Peter Janson officially established Janson Coffee.

They were inspired by their father’s dedication to hard work, quality, and love for the land. Their father, Carl Axel Janson, was a Swedish immigrant who acquired and established the original Janson hacienda as a cattle farm in 1941. Since its founding, the family’s vision has been to produce high-quality specialty coffee for communities in Panama and abroad.

As a family enterprise, Janson Coffee continues to be driven by a commitment to producing exceptional coffees while preserving the land and improving the quality of life of their collaborators and their families.

Janson Coffee comprises two plantations spanning 100 hectares combined, both located along the Talamanca Mountain Range on the slopes of the Tizingal and Barú volcanoes. Together, they are home to varieties including Catuai, Caturra, Pacamara, and Panama Geisha.

Sitting at heights reaching 1,450 masl, Hacienda Las Lagunas is located in Tierras Altas, the Highlands District of Volcán. Its name comes from the wetlands and lagoons found nearby. West of the Barú Volcano, the farm is characterized by rich volcanic soil and natural springs. Areas of natural reserve surround its different coffee lots, serving as natural barriers as well as essential habitats for diverse bird and wildlife populations.

The legendary Geisha variety is acclaimed for its sweet florality and bright overtones. Since its debut win at the Best of Panama auction in 2004, it has kept specialty coffee lovers everywhere captivated by its endless possibilities, delicacy, complexity, and clarity of flavors. As such, it is often showcased on coffee competition stages by a great number of coffee champions, and it also continues to fetch the highest prices.

Throughout their 30+ year history, the Jansons have relied on the experience of their founders while remaining attentive to every step and fine-tuning areas of production, from cultivation to processing, that will allow them to produce increasingly more delicious coffees. To begin with, they maintain the balance of nutrients in the soil by preserving the endemic flora in their farms, which serve as natural barriers and obviate the need for pesticides or herbicides.

Pickers are trained to select and hand-collect only the properly ripe cherries at harvest, and to further re-assess the cherries in their baskets and remove any that do not conform. These are then carefully placed in plastic crates, and no longer in sacks, to be sent for processing. This change was done to remove the risk of the cherries being compressed, and losing juices and sugars beneficial to flavor development, while in transit to the beneficio or plant.

Upon reaching the plant, the cherries are passed through a mechanical siphon to separate the denser cherries from the rest before going into fermentation. This is done since the highest potential for the best flavors rests within the healthiest cherries, typically indicated by a higher density.