El Árbol | Dipilto, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua

When Saša Šestić and Claudia Lovo purchased El Árbol in 2015, they saw far more than an aging coffee farm. They saw the opportunity to build something that would positively impact the people who worked the land, the environment that sustained it, and the quality of the coffee it could produce.

Located in Dipilto, Nueva Segovia, El Árbol was once planted with commercial-grade coffee. Named after the towering tree that stands at the centre of the farm, it has since become a symbol of the values that guide its future: community, stewardship, and a commitment to producing exceptional specialty coffee.

For Saša and Claudia, improving the coffee itself was never the first priority. They understood that a healthy farm begins with the people who care for it every day.

Putting People First

When they first arrived, the living conditions for many of the workers reflected years of underinvestment. Improving those conditions became the foundation for everything that followed.

The workers' homes were renovated with solid flooring, natural light, and proper beds. In the kitchen, an electric corn mill replaced hours of manual labour, allowing the cooks to spend less time preparing meals and more time resting. Vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and laying hens were introduced to provide fresh, nutritious food, and workers were encouraged to take the harvest home to share with their families.

These changes weren't embraced overnight. New ideas often take time, especially when they challenge what has always been familiar. Through patience, consistency, and genuine care, Claudia earned the trust of the people around her. Over time, the improvements became something everyone could take pride in.

The team also chose to pay workers significantly more than they had previously earned, recognising the value of their work and the importance of creating meaningful opportunities that could support families for years to come. Even practices such as collecting fallen coffee cherries—which helps maintain healthier coffee trees—were recognised and fairly compensated.

To us, this is what sustainability looks like. It begins with investing in people.

Caring for the Land

Building a healthier farm required the same long-term thinking.

The transition toward organic production was never about rushing to meet a deadline. It was about giving the soil, the coffee trees, and the surrounding ecosystem the time they needed to recover and thrive naturally.

Many of the original coffee trees had reached the end of their productive lives and required careful renovation or replacement. Biodiversity became an important focus, creating an environment where healthier soils, stronger coffee trees, and local wildlife could all flourish together.

The journey was not without challenges. Weather, harvests, and processing experiments brought their share of setbacks, but each season became another opportunity to learn.

Today, El Árbol produces a diverse range of coffee varieties and processing styles that showcase both quality and character. More importantly, the knowledge gained through that journey is now shared with neighbouring producers. By opening their processing infrastructure and exchanging ideas with others in the region, the impact of El Árbol reaches well beyond the farm's boundaries.

Why We Partner with El Árbol

At Common Goal Coffee, we believe great coffee is built on long-term relationships.

Our partners are producers who care deeply for the people around them, steward the land responsibly, and continually invest in producing better coffee—not only for today, but for future generations.

El Árbol embodies those values.

Every coffee from this farm represents years of patience, learning, and commitment. It is the result of people working together with purpose, creating a future where quality coffee and thriving communities can grow side by side.