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About Us
Don Bernardo Hannstein
Walter Hannstien
Marlita Hannstien
Sergio Weller
In 1892 twenty year old Berhard Gottlieb Hannstein came to Guatemala to escape a tyrannical father, avoid the "military habits of Germany" and start a new life. He learned the coffee business from the bottom up and soon found himself foreman of a large "finca de cafe" (coffee estate in Spanish) called San Ignacio, which he eventualy bought.
He and his young wife Ida, survived malaria, gunfights, volcanic eruptions and banditos to build both a family and a successful business.
To learn more about the Hannstein saga read "Early Twentiieth-Century Life in Western Guatemala", by Marlita's sister, Betty Hannstein Adams.It's out of print but you can contact to buy a used copy.
In 1925 his son, Walter traveled to California because he had heard "California women have the most beautiful legs in the world". There he met Marley Busekist whom he brought back to Guatemala and married.
In the 1940s Walter bought Finca La Paz and now, one hundred and fourteen years after "Don Bernardo" first laid eyes on a coffee plant, his granddaughter and great-grandson are still in the business.
Finca La Paz produces a special high altitude coffee that is perfect for blending.
