What Finca Luna Nueva Lodge does

Finca Luna Nueva Lodge is a privately held regenerative rainforest eco-lodge operating on a 127-acre property on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica's continental divide, in the Arenal region adjacent to the Children's Eternal Rainforest. Founded in 1994 by Steven Farrell as an organic ginger and turmeric farm and joined by Tom and Terry Newmark as co-founders in 1999, the property now operates as an integrated working farm and 40-bed hospitality destination — one of the first certified organic and regenerative farms in Central America and the inaugural center for teaching regenerative organic agriculture in the tropics. The site combines approximately 76 acres of protected primary rainforest, the Sacred Seeds Sanctuary (300+ medicinal plant species), a 600-meter wildlife corridor along the Rio Chachagua, and four syntropic management areas (cacao, coffee, breadnut, mixed annuals/chickens) developed under guidance of Porvenir Design since 2018.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with multiple revenue streams: lodge accommodations across seven room/cabin types, a farm-to-table restaurant, on-site tours (farm tours, chocolate workshops, cow milking, birding, herbal medicine workshops, night walks), off-site adventure coordination with third-party operators, a Rainforest Spa offering massage and holistic therapies, a bamboo yoga/retreat pavilion, a conference center hosting groups up to 48, and airport shuttle coordination. Bookings are handled through the company's own website via SimpleBooking integration; group retreats are managed through a dedicated email channel. Pricing is quote-based, varying by season and occupancy, with group rates for 10+ participants. The lodge targets five primary customer segments — eco-tourists, wellness retreat seekers, families, group/conference clients, and agricultural/environmental learners — with no disclosed enterprise contracts.

Finca Luna Nueva is the founding site of Regeneration International (a coalition of 730+ partners across 82 countries as of 2026) and is featured in the 2020 Rodale Institute white paper 'Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution.' The lodge has earned certifications including Costa Rica's Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST), Slow Food membership, and sustained press coverage from Lonely Planet (2024), Culture Trip (2025), Travel Noire (2024), The Guardian, and Rough Guides, alongside 1,235 TripAdvisor reviews. The legal entity is Luna Nueva Extractos de Costa Rica S.A., and the business is privately owned by the founding families with no evidence of external institutional investment.

Name

Finca Luna Nueva Lodge

Legal name

Luna Nueva Extractos de Costa Rica S.A.

Website

https://fincalunanuevalodge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Eco-Lodge Hospitality

NAICS

All Other Traveler Accommodation (721199), Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Eco-Lodges (Sustainable/Nature-Based) (THAGAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Eco-Lodges (Low-Impact, Nature-Integrated Lodging) (THAAAHAA), Rainforest & Jungle Lodges (THAGAIAD)

Keywords

• Eco-lodge hospitality
• Regenerative agritourism
• Farm-to-table dining
• Wellness retreat services
• Rainforest conservation tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Alajuela

HQ country

Costa Rica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Lodge Accommodations: Eco-lodge accommodations offered across multiple room types: Casa Luna, Casitas Deluxe, Family Bungalows, Casa de Barro / Earth Bag House, Dome Suite, and Casita Esplendor. Room rates are per room, vary by occupancy and season, with approximately 40 beds total across individual rooms and family cabins. Breakfast buffet is included with stay.
2. Farm-to-Table Restaurant: Open-air restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner using produce from the lodge's regenerative farm and local organic sources. Breakfast is included with accommodation. Lunch and dinner are offered at additional charge. The restaurant also serves beverages including homemade kombucha, ginger ale, smoothies, and alcoholic drinks.
3. On-site and Off-site Tours & Activities: A wide variety of guided tours and experiences including farm tours, cacao/chocolate workshops, cow milking, birding tours, herbal medicine workshops, tortilla making, rainforest night walks, beekeeping tours, and off-site excursions. Revenue is generated through per-person activity fees coordinated by the lodge.
4. Conference & Retreat Center Hosting: Group retreat and conference hosting for up to 48 individuals, including use of pavilion facilities, A/V equipment, on-site dining, spa services, and activity coordination. Rates are based on number of participants and length of stay. Group rates apply for 10+ participants.
5. Spa & Wellness Services: Rainforest Spa offering massage therapies, body treatments, aromatherapy, and other wellness services. Pricing is quoted upon inquiry at the reception desk.
6. Airport Shuttle Services: The lodge arranges private shuttle transportation to/from airports in Costa Rica for an additional fee, coordinating with third-party shuttle companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Finca Luna Nueva Lodge operates a regenerative rainforest eco-lodge on a 127-acre working farm in Costa Rica, offering accommodations (approximately 40 beds across rooms, casitas, bungalows, and suites), a farm-to-table restaurant, wellness services (spa and yoga pavilion), and a portfolio of on-site educational tours and off-site adventure excursions. The lodge generates revenue through nightly room rates, group retreat packages, à la carte dining, per-person tour fees, and quoted spa services, with a conference center accommodating groups up to 48.

Product overview

Finca Luna Nueva Lodge is a regenerative rainforest eco-lodge offering a unified hospitality experience combining accommodations, farm-to-table dining, wellness services, and educational nature tours. The core offering is eco-lodge accommodations (Casa Luna, Casitas Deluxe, Family Bungalows, Earth Bag House, Dome Suite, Casita Esplendor) with capacity for 40 guests, complemented by an on-site farm-to-table restaurant serving produce from their 127-acre syntropic farm. The lodge's add-on modules include wellness services (Rainforest Spa, Bamboo Yoga Pavilion/Retreat Center, Jacuzzi), diverse tours (Farm Tours, Chocolate Workshop, Cow Milking, Birding with 364+ species, Night Walks, Herbal Medicine Workshops), and a Conference Center for group retreats. The Sacred Seeds Sanctuary and wildlife corridor along the Rio Chachagua serve as distinctive conservation-oriented sub-products. The integrated experience is designed for eco-tourism, wellness retreats, and regenerative agriculture education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eco-Lodge Accommodations Rainforest eco-lodge offering approximately 40 beds across multiple accommodation types (Casa Luna, Casitas Deluxe, Family Bungalows, Casa de Barro / Earth Bag House, Dome Suite, Casita Esplendor) with private decks or wraparound porches overlooking the farm or rainforest, and a breakfast buffet included with stay.
• Farm-to-Table Restaurant Open-air dining area serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner using organic produce, greens, vegetables, tubers, fruits, herbs, and dairy from the syntropic farm and local organic sources. Menu rotates by daily and seasonal harvest. Serves beverages including homemade kombucha, ginger ale, smoothies, beer, wine, cocktails, and mocktails.
• Organic & Regenerative Farm Tour

Quantifiable outcome

• 364 bird species recorded on eBird hotspot L1873352 — a single working farm list rivaling celebrated biological stations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Regeneration InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2015Finca Luna Nueva served as the birthplace and founding venue of Regeneration International in June 2015, hosting 70+ leaders from 22 nations for the organization's inaugural meeting. Tom Newmark is a co-founder. Regeneration International has since grown to 730 partners across 82 countries, promoting regenerative agriculture globally.
• Rodale InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRodale Institute is the oldest and most respected regenerative and organic agriculture research organization in North America. Tom Newmark partnered with Rodale to co-produce the landmark white paper 'Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution' (September 2020), which featured Finca Luna Nueva's syntropic cacao fields as a model of regenerative tropical agriculture.
• Porvenir DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPorvenir Design is a permaculture and agroforestry consultancy that began guiding Finca Luna Nueva in 2018. Led by Scott Gallant, they designed and documented the one-hectare syntropic cacao orchard and subsequent syntropic management areas (coffee, breadnut, mixed annuals/chickens) on the farm.
• Children's Eternal Rainforest (ACMCR / Monteverde Conservation League)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe lodge borders the Children's Eternal Rainforest (BEN), the largest private reserve in Costa Rica at over 54,000 acres. Finca Luna Nueva worked with a coalition to purchase and reforest 7 hectares along the Rio Chachagua, donated as a wildlife corridor to the reserve. The lodge is 600 meters from the reserve's ecosystem and serves as a base for Arenal Christmas Bird Counts.
• Texas A&M AgriLife Research (Dr. Anil Somenahally)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Anil Somenahally, Associate Professor of Rhizosphere Biogeochemistry at Texas A&M AgriLife Research, has conducted advanced soil research at Finca Luna Nueva, examining soil carbon and microbial health in the syntropic cacao fields. His findings have validated the farm's regenerative outcomes scientifically.
• Savory InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaniela Ibarra-Howell, co-founder and past CEO of the Savory Institute (holistic ranching organization), held an international retreat at Finca Luna Nueva with Allan Savory and the Savory Institute leadership team. Savory Institute practices holistic management — a philosophy aligned with the lodge's regenerative ethos.
• Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems (CRARS) — California State University, ChicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTom Newmark is a founding member of the Leadership Council of this center at CSU Chico. Finca Luna Nueva is referenced as the inaugural center for teaching regenerative organic agriculture in the tropics, and the farm's story is cited in CRARS publications.
• American Botanical CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTom Newmark served as past chairman of the American Botanical Council, one of the most influential organizations in herbal and botanical medicine education and advocacy in the United States.
• United Plant Savers (Sacred Seeds Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sacred Seeds Sanctuary (Semillas Sagradas) at Finca Luna Nueva is affiliated with the United Plant Savers' Sacred Seeds program, which supports endangered medicinal plant conservation across the Americas.
• True Nature Yoga & WellnessminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed as a linked partner on the Finca Luna Nueva website, True Nature Yoga & Wellness appears to be a partner organization that may refer wellness retreat participants to the lodge or collaborate on programming.
• eBird / Cornell Lab of OrnithologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinca Luna Nueva Lodge is registered as eBird Hotspot L1873352, with 364 bird species recorded. Birding guides Alberto Palma and Royvin Gutierrez maintain the checklist. The lodge hosts the Arenal Christmas Bird Count as a regular base and count route.
• University of Texas Dallas / Texas A&MminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistinguished scientists from the University of Texas Dallas and Texas A&M University conducted soil health measurement research at Finca Luna Nueva's syntropic cacao field, testing new technology for measuring soil health parameters.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Banyan Tree Mayakoba: A global luxury hospitality brand with a regenerative/sustainability program across multiple properties including Latin America. Comparable on wellness-meets-nature positioning, though at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• Pacuare Lodge: A Costa Rican eco-lodge of similar size operating inside a private rainforest reserve with sustainability certifications and immersive nature experiences. Highly comparable as a Costa Rica eco-lodge with comparable scale, sustainability positioning, and target audience.
• Lapa Rios Lodge: A pioneering Central American eco-lodge on a 1,000-acre private reserve in Costa Rica/Panama with a similar combination of nature immersion, sustainability certifications, and small capacity. Direct comparable on regenerative tourism positioning.
• Rancho Pacifico: A small luxury eco-lodge in Costa Rica's southern zone combining wellness, biodiversity, and small-scale boutique hospitality. Comparable scale and regenerative hospitality positioning.
• Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation Resort: A boutique Costa Rican lodge set within a working organic coffee plantation with farm-to-table dining, sustainability certification, and similar small-scale regenerative hospitality model. Direct peer on the farm-stay archetype.
• Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort: A Costa Rica wellness retreat property near Nosara featuring yoga pavilions, plant-based dining, and spa services. Comparable on the wellness retreat archetype with overlapping guest personas.

Regional players

• Nayara Resorts (Arenal): An upscale resort cluster in the La Fortuna/Arenal region of Costa Rica, directly competing for the same inbound wellness and nature-traveler demand. Regional peer with overlapping geography but a larger, conventional luxury positioning.
• Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa: A major Arenal-region resort focused on hot springs, spa, and wellness — directly competing for wellness retreat guests visiting the La Fortuna area. Larger scale and broader wellness positioning.

Emerging players

• Hotel Punta Islita: A Costa Rica luxury eco-resort with a community-tourism model, sustainability programs, and immersive nature experiences. Comparable on regenerative/community tourism positioning with broader amenity footprint.
• Chablé Resort & Spa: A wellness-led Mexican resort set within a regenerative agave/cacao estate with spa, dining, and immersive nature experiences. Comparable regenerative farm-resort concept at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lunanuevacr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lunanuevalodge425
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/fincalunanuevalodge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finca-luna-nueva-lodge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Finca Luna Nueva Lodge