Who he is: Senel Campos founded Don Senel Specialty Coffee in 2014, when low coffee prices pushed him to take control of his own processing and discover what his farm was truly capable of. What started with 3 quintals processed on a hand depulper adapted to a washing machine — scoring 87 points on that first batch — has grown into one of Costa Rica's most exciting experimental processing operations, with 21 varieties across 16 productive hectares.
Brief history: Coffee has been part of Senel's life since he was 12 years old, when he started his first nursery of 500 coffee plants. That early connection to the land became the foundation of a family business built on curiosity and precision. Over the years, he invested in equipment, improved drying infrastructure, and planted exotic varieties — always guided by a deep understanding of fermentation, Brix levels, and pH control. Today, Don Senel Specialty Coffee masters a remarkable range of processes: traditional and double washed, yellow, red, and black honey, traditional natural, anaerobic natural, double anaerobic, and raisin honey.
What makes him singular:
- One of the most rigorous and technically advanced post-harvest operations in Costa Rica: fermentation is not guesswork — Brix levels and pH are monitored and controlled to achieve consistent, complex profiles.
- 21 coffee varieties across 16 hectares, including Ethiopian selections, Geisha Super, Cassiopeia, SL blends, and Java — a deliberate investment in genetic diversity and cup complexity.
- A story that begins with a 12-year-old and a nursery of 500 plants — and has never lost that personal connection to the land and the craft.
Relationship with Belco: We started working with Don Senel this year, drawn by his exceptional range of exotic varieties and his mastery of experimental post-harvest processing — a producer whose technical precision and creativity produce results that are genuinely hard to find elsewhere.
Shared values with Belco:
- Excellence through precision: Don Senel approaches fermentation as a science, not a tradition — and the results speak for themselves.
- Long-term vision: continuous investment in varieties, infrastructure, and knowledge.
- Coffee as a dignified livelihood and a bridge between people — a value Belco shares deeply.
