In August 2026, the 30th BOP concluded in Boquete. In the traditional varieties category, Altieri Specialty Coffee took first place with a score of 93.63, leaving Hacienda La Esmeralda and Santa Teresa Estate behind, adding yet another trophy to this established Boquete family estate.
The Altieri family's story carries a touch of legend. In 1973, Italian-American Eugene Altieri moved to Panama, initially making his living in the ice-making business. Later he took over two farms in Boquete, replanted them with coffee, and even converted the old ice factory into a coffee processing plant. In 2005, the family formally entered the coffee business under the name Altieri Specialty Coffee, and it has now passed into the hands of the second generation. The family owns two main parcels: the Mima estate, spread across Callejón Seco and Alto Quiel at about 1,700 to 2,200 meters above sea level; and the Pipim estate, located in Alto Lino on the eastern slope of Volcán Barú, right next to the cloud forest of the national park. Interestingly, the eleven plots within the Mima estate are each named after one of Eugene's grandchildren—behind every coffee stands the name of a family member.
Altieri's Geisha seeds were purchased directly from the Peterson family of Hacienda La Esmeralda. After Hacienda La Esmeralda stunned the world with Geisha in 2004, the seeds it sold became the "orthodox bloodline" prized by many estates in Panama, and Altieri is one of them. This is also what people in the industry often say: drinking Altieri's Geisha, you can taste the shadow of Hacienda La Esmeralda's genetics. However, Altieri does not put all its chips on Geisha. The estate also grows Typica, Catuai, Caturra and other varieties, with steady production of washed, natural, and honey processes. The batch that won the 2026 BOP was precisely a traditional varieties lot, showing that the family has put in just as much effort beyond Geisha. Since first winning at the BOP around 2014, Altieri has appeared on the list almost every year, relying on exactly this approach: "deep family cultivation + multi-line processing."
For a family estate that has been in operation for more than half a century, the BOP trophy is merely another confirmation. What truly makes Altieri remembered may be those eleven plots named after the grandchildren—every cup of coffee is connected to the family's long-term commitment to this hillside.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
