Finca Santa Marta- Organic Business for Sale

Finca Santa Marta- Organic Business for Sale

House - Bijagual, Chiriqui

Finca Santa Marta, established in 2007 is a thriving, organic vegetable, fruit and herb agro-business located in western Panama, in the province of Chiriquí. Thirty minutes west of David, the finca is in the community known as Santa Marta and Bijagual. This is a pristine and unspoiled part of Chiriqui with rich soil and has the perfect climate for an organic farm.  The elevation ranges from 1,050 feet at the road boundary down to 800 feet at the river.

The finca is lush with greenery and beauty. A good portion of the finca is undeveloped and has been left in its natural state.

This is an organic farm in the truest sense. Compost is made continuously and used to improve the soil and cut plant material is used for ground cover over the plants keeping in the moisture and also for weed control.  Permaculture techniques are being implemented in the operation.

The finca supplies chickens and eggs and organic fruits and vegetables to clients all over Panama who have come to rely on Finca Santa Marta for their produce including weekly shipments to Bocas del Toro, Panama City, Colon, Coronado and other locations.  The diversity of the products produced on this farm is impressive.  Many items grown organically at the farm are not grown elsewhere in Panama.  Also 8 head of cattle are currently being grazed with the additional capacity for 16-20 head total.

Finca Santa Marta also has established a growing clientele by selling produce at the BCP Tuesday Morning Market each week in Boquete as well as dropping off orders in David.

Some advantages of the location of Finca Santa Marta include:

• Semi-secluded location means a quiet and peaceful river valley property but only 2.2 km of paved access from the InterAmerican Highway.
• FSM location enjoys a bit more rain in the dry season allowing pastures to remain green year around.
• 25 minutes to Price Smart in David and 25 minutes to Paso Canoas. 12 minutes to Concepcion, a small city with most services.
• Ideal location for adding agro-tourism and/or a paid or volunteer training program.
• Cool breezes up and down the river valley most of the year help mitigate the tropical climate.

The sale includes the Finca Santa Marta S.A. corporation, business name, trade marked logo, website, clients and the professional reputation that the name Finca Santa Marta has established. You can visit http://www.fincasantamarta.biz/ to view the website and see what products are offered.  In addition, FSM has a water concession from ANAM to pump water from the river in the dry season.  Several current, hard working, local employees would be interested in working for the new owners.  The current owners have an excellent bilingual CPA in David and a good working relationship with Banco General both of which could be transferred to the new owners, if desired.

The organic movement in Panama is growing stronger every year.  This is a great opportunity for being part of this growing industry. There is now a vital need for organic products grown as more restaurants and residents look for healthier foods and produce not grown by other suppliers.  Also there is an excellent government program that rebates farmers up to 80% of the cost of new commercial green houses making expansion very cost effective.

Finca Santa Marta has lots of opportunity for growth and expansion of the business. Please let us know if you are interested in this exciting opportunity.

Site and Property

• 17 + hectares or 42+ acres. This property borders the Rio Gariche river with one kilometer of river frontage.
• The entire property is fenced and has three different elevations that descend to the river below.
• There is an extensive interior road system allowing easy access to all areas of the finca.
• Organic farm with free-range chickens, eggs, organic vegetables, herbs and many varieties of mature fruit trees. In addition there are areas dedicated to growing coconuts, bananas, pineapples, bamboo and moringa. A tilapia growing operation could be easily be incorporated and add an additional revenue stream.
• The lower level of the property which borders the river is currently used as pasture land for cattle and horses.
• The middle level of the property is protected from the winds so it is a perfect place for the several irrigated greenhouses and free-range laying hen nests and shelter.
• The highest level has more greenhouses and free-range meat chicken growing areas in addition to the house and office/shop and other buildings. There are a total of 8 large greenhouses on the property with 34,000+ sq feet of covered growing area.
• High speed internet is provided by Planet Telecom, who leases a small tower site on the back side of the farm and trade the wireless internet access and phone service for the tower lease payment.
• Site security includes numerous outdoor lights, a 6 camera security system with digital recorder with Internet monitoring and an excellent house perimeter motion alarm system.
• Diverse flora and fauna are found on this property, which has been planted by the owners, including plantings surrounding the greenhouses with bug deterrent plants such as citronella. There is an adjoining government owned property that is virgin rainforest which helps keep the diversity in the finca’s soil, using organic farming methods.
• The property includes a 12KW propane powered backup generator that can power the entire finca.
• The water source for the house comes from IDAAN, the public water utility. The property gets irrigation water from the river and from 4 private wells on the property.
• In addition the finca has over 30 large reserve water storage tanks located around the property that double as a rain catchment system. Combined they offer over 12,000 gallons (45,500 lts) of water storage and are connected to an extensive water system for the gravity and pressure systems utilized for irrigation.
• The sale price includes all farm processing equipment including, mowers, weed eaters, and numerous other tools necessary for a farming operation.
• The fully furnished home includes 2 bedrooms with 1 bath and has 213 sq meters or 2300 sq feet of living space overlooking the valley below with a large patio and carport. High vaulted ceilings, ceiling fans and cross flow ventilation keep the house very comfortable without air conditioning.
• Other onsite buildings include:

An administration office with workshop – storage area.

A processing area for chickens that is compliant with Panama health standards and includes state of the art equipment.

A processing area for washing and packaging produce for shipment.

A cold room and several refrigerators and freezers.

A generator house

A 20’ storage container

A fully furnished 650 sq ft octagonal bamboo/adobe casita for manager, or to rent out