Heddy Kühl and Steve Franklin opened up JavaVino, a Coffee and Wine House in May of 2004. The original plan was to open a neighbor coffee and wine house that had a direct link to Heddy's parents coffee estate in Nicaragua, Selva Negra. As we got more involved in opening up JavaVino we realized that buying our house coffee, Selva Negra, directly from my parents made for a great concept and helped us truly from a business relationship on top of the existing personal family relationship.

It is this personal relationship, knowing the farmer responsible for the coffee, and knowing the intimate details of the programs practiced on the farm that lead us to create our Selva Negra Green Coffee bean program. We want other independent coffee shop and roasters to have that same knowledge and relationship as we do to a coffee farm.

The Kühl Family is part of a long history of coffee producers, dating back to 1883. This time honored tradition goes back six generations in the cultivation of coffee. The tradition continues to this day, Eddy and Mausi Kühl have strived to achieve the ideals of sustainability at their estate, Selva Negra.

This picture from the late 1800's, of the three Baldizon sister demonstrates, the long tradition of coffee within the Kühl-Hayn. Left to right, Demetria Baldizon (Eddy's grandmother) married Otto Kühl. Rosenda Baldizon holding her daughter, Meta Baldizon married Alberto Vogl. Pina Baldizon married the gentleman to her side Transito Chaves. The three Baldizon sisters were the daughters of the former Governor of the Province of Matagalpa Matias Baldizon who was one of the first Nicaraguan coffee growers in Matagalpa, registered since 1883.

Currently, this family tradition still runs strong as Heddy is the 6th generation member of the Kühl family to be in coffee and yet the 1st generation to take the family business to retail side of the industry.