The commission determined that the best site for colonization would be in the Southern Costa Rica area of Coto Brus. There were no roads or communications with the area but soon the Pan American Highway would pass by only some 30 miles down hill. This was of great advantage as it would give them access to the Port of Golfito which was surrounded by banana farms.

The Government of Costa Rica agreed to sell them 10,000 hectares of land at a price of 10 Colones per Hectare. Several conditions applied. They would have to construct 30 miles of year round passable road to the colony and within 10 years have between 250 and 300 distinct families living in the newly opened area with at least 20% being Costa Rican. Colonists were to be given between 10 and 20 Hectares per family.They had to build houses for each family, schools for the children, an electric generating plant, a sawmill and form a Cooperative that benefited everyone equally.

The exact location was chosen in January of 1952. It was described as: The land at the confluence of the Negro and Sabalito Rivers, the waters below, until it comes to the Coto Brus River. This mountainous land was completely covered with forest and jungle and was estimated to have an altitude between 800 and 1000 meters (later found to be 800 to 1500 meters) and was perfect for coffee production.

The work started on the 28th of February 1952. There were soon to be a year round road down the mountain, a sawmill and the first three houses were finished in what was founded as La Colonia, The name was soon changed to San Vito del Rio Java in honor of the Patron Saint of Immigrants.

San Vito is now one of the larger cities in Costa Rica and a thriving agricultural community. Fila Coffee and the founding organization SICA not only exist but thrive under self controlled growth linked to the benefit of the farmers and the quality of the coffee in the original dream of Admiral Sansonetti.

Costa Rican coffee has set the standards for fine wet-processed coffee for the rest of Central and South America. The most famous coffees by region are Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredi, and Alajuela. Fortunately the San Vito area has never had easy access and is not famous in the world. We are and plan to stay small and absolutely quality minded. Our goal is simply to make a decent living by bringing you the best of the best at a fair market price.

The best Costa Rican coffee beans are grown above 3,900 feet and are designated as "strictly hard bean". The "good hard bean" classification is given to coffees grown from 3,300 to 3,900 feet. You will find La Fila Costa Rica on Google Earth and be assured that we far exceed that standard for altitude. This is the remote area located on the Frontier with Panama and surrounded by the UNESCO site La Amistad near our roasting and drying facilities in San Vito.

Because we are small and or growth is very measured we offer the very finest hand picked coffee in the world. It is a grueling and wet business in the clouds to bring you the very freshest coffee.

We ship only on roasting days quantities are limited and the only exception to this is our Double O coffee. Not only is it grown and harvested under ISO and FAIRTRADE practices it is also dried by the sun in the oldest and most traditional methods, the specific depth of the roasting is left up to the true Gourmet. It is shipped as ready.

When comparing us to other growers. Find the best and then take a step up to the top of the Fila, Fila Coffee.

The airport that was constructed to bring in the building materials for the Cooperative is still in use today but as an emergency runway for life flights and air taxis only.