Our Story

The Santa Lucia story is organic and local: during the beginning of the specialty coffee movement of the early 1990’s, Nicaraguan native William Gutierrez and his restaurateur wife Jodi Lehr were among the first importers of Nicaraguan coffee to the US. They found a unique niche in the hospitality industry in Washington, D.C. This effort to improve the quality of coffee being served led to the establishment of a local Hispanic and woman owned business — Santa Lucia Coffee. As one of Washington D.C.’s original sustainable specialty coffee roasters, Santa Lucia is known for distinct quality and a consistent cup. For the past 30 years, Santa Lucia has imported and distributed premium single origin, shade grown, high mountain coffee from small Nicaraguan farms to some of the greatest chefs, restaurateurs, caterers, and coffee connoisseurs in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.

Nicaragua

Thanks to traceability to the source farm, beautiful shade to grow, hand washing, sorting and patio drying, these coffee beans are made sustainably prior to traveling to the US to be roasted. During the procurement process, we select and only use the top 20-25% beans available. These beans are selected by size, shape, and humidity. This quality helps the beans hold up through the processing, roasting, and brewing process. With direct relationships to the source, Santa Lucia brings the best beans from these farms to your cup.

Santa Lucia values

Santa Lucia has always believed in responsibility to the farms, and with fair pricing Santa Lucia always pays a premium to the grower for their beans. Giving back to the workers and their families is a core value for Santa Lucia. These farms provide beautiful coffee cherries and Santa Lucia would not exist without them, so Santa Lucia makes every effort to support better ways of life for farm personnel. William and Jodi created a true family company where their sons learned about beans, business, and customer service from a young age and still work today. Today, Santa Lucia remains a boutique company selling coffee to Washington D.C. restaurants, hotels, caterers, and offices while proudly tied to its original vision:

Local, Passionate, and Hands-On