Bendaña McEwan Family - Nicaraguan Coffee Producers

For nearly 80 years, the Bendaña McEwan family has cultivated specialty coffee in the highlands of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. What began with a single farm in 1947 has grown into a multi-generational operation employing approximately 60 year-round workers and up to 300 during the harvest season — spanning four estates, a state-of-the-art processing facility, and a direct-trade partnership bringing Nicaraguan single-origin coffee to roasters and consumers worldwide.

This is not just our business. It is our family's legacy — and we invite you to be part of it.

Four Generations of Coffee

The Bendaña McEwan coffee story begins with Esteban McEwan, who established coffee farming in the mountains of Matagalpa. His daughter, Maria Teresa McEwan, married Dr. Frank Bendaña Radzevich in 1957, joining two families whose combined passion for agriculture and community would shape Nicaraguan specialty coffee for decades to come.

Their eldest daughter, Ana Patricia Bendaña McEwan — known to everyone as Doña Ana — now serves as General Manager of the El Quetzal estate. Before returning to coffee, Doña Ana spent more than 40 years in healthcare, including nine years as a Peace Corps Medical Officer, three years as Executive Director of Operation Smile Nicaragua, and eight years leading a Hospice & Palliative Care organization in Texas. She brings the same dedication to the farm that she brought to her patients: an attention to detail and a commitment to people that shows in everything we produce.

In 2023, Doña Ana's daughter Ana Bendaña and her husband Justin Sieve founded El Quetzal Coffee Co., dedicated to continuing the family's direct-trade relationships with roasters and bringing our coffee to new markets. Together, the fourth generation carries forward the values and standards that have defined Bendaña McEwan coffee since 1947.

At 1,200 meters in the highlands north of Matagalpa, El Quetzal Estate sits in what's classified as a cloud forest — temperatures consistently between 59 and 72°F, humidity averaging 89%, and persistent near-dew-point conditions that create an ideal microclimate for specialty coffee. The farm is situated along a north-south running valley, which strongly impacts sun exposure and is a key influence on cup quality.

Dr. Frank Bendaña: The Visionary Behind El Quetzal

Dr. Frank Bendaña Radzevich — affectionately known as Don Paco — was the architect of our modern coffee operation. Born in New York City to a Nicaraguan father and a Lithuanian mother, he graduated from the Escuela Agrícola Panamericana (El Zamorano) in Honduras in 1957 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, becoming the first Nicaraguan to hold that distinction.

His academic work included published research in plant physiology at Yale University and advanced study of soils at the University of Florida. But Don Paco's greatest contribution was bringing that scientific rigor back to Nicaragua.

In the 1960s, he founded the El Quetzal estate in the Dantalí Hill Nature Reserve, 35 minutes from the city of Matagalpa. There, he pioneered sun-grown coffee techniques that tripled traditional yields and became a leading production method across the country. At one point, El Quetzal was the most productive farm in Nicaragua. In the early 1990s, the operation transitioned from high-volume sun-grown production to quality-focused shade-grown cultivation — the approach that defines our coffee today. He introduced specialty varieties that remain the foundation of our portfolio today: Caturra, Catimor, Yellow Catuaí, Java, Villa Sarchí, and others — each selected for its adaptability to our highland terroir and its exceptional cup quality.

Don Paco continued his work at El Quetzal until his passing in 2007. His legacy lives on in every tree on our farms, every variety we cultivate, and every cup that bears the Bendaña McEwan name.

Beneficio San Miguel Arcángel

Once harvested, our coffee is transported to Beneficio San Miguel Arcángel — the family's dry milling facility, operated by Bendaña McEwan S.A. Located at Km 118 on the Managua-Matagalpa highway — approximately 6-8°F warmer and sunnier than the farm — the Beneficio handles every stage from receiving wet parchment to producing export-ready green coffee: drying (6-10 day optimal cycle), cupping and quality control, sorting, classification, and preparation for shipment.

Clients and producers can choose from natural drying, box drying for honey and natural processes, and high-quality washed processing — all managed with full traceability from farm to container.

Our Varietals

Each variety on our farms was chosen for its productivity, cup quality, and adaptability to our highland conditions. Our current portfolio includes:

• Geisha — The world's most prized specialty variety, known for its floral, jasmine-like aromatics
• Laurina — A rare, naturally low-caffeine Bourbon mutation with delicate fruit and tea-like qualities
• Pacamara — Large-bean hybrid with bold, complex sweetness and citrus notes
• Java — Planted by Don Paco in 1991. Origin: Ethiopia → Indonesia → Nicaragua. Caramel sweetness, honeycrisp apple, vanilla.
• Yellow Catuai — Compact, productive, and rewarding: honey sweetness with citrus and a clean finish
• Villa Sarchí — A Costa Rican dwarf mutation prized for its bright acidity and sweetness
• Caturra — The workhorse of Central American specialty coffee, delivering reliable quality
• SHG Blend — Our Strictly High Grown blend, the foundation of our B2B wholesale program

Request wholesale samples → FOB Managua pricing available for all varietals

The farm's infrastructure includes a modernized nursery upgraded in 2024 with reusable pot systems to reduce plastic waste, a wet mill, raised drying beds for selective processing, and onsite hydroelectric power generation — a small turbine below the main house that supplies electricity to the farm and the surrounding community.

Direct Trade: El Quetzal Coffee Co.

Founded in 2023, El Quetzal Coffee Co. is dedicated to continuing the Bendaña McEwan family's legacy through direct relationships with roasters, cafés, and specialty buyers worldwide. We offer green coffee in quantities from 150-gram samples to full 69-kilogram export sacks, plus a curated line of roasted single-origin coffees for retail customers.

We believe every cup of coffee should not only taste exceptional but also contribute positively to the lives of those who cultivate it. Through our operations, we foster a deeper connection between consumers and the origins of their coffee — ensuring that each sip is a testament to nearly 80 years of family commitment to quality, community, and the land.

Browse our green coffee → | Shop roasted coffee → | Request wholesale samples →