Workshops & gatherings

Learn by
doing.

Throughout the year we host a small number of intimate workshops and seasonal gatherings, led by farmers, chefs, artisans, educators and craftspeople from around the world.

Our approach

We believe in learning through
hands-on experiences.

Who we are

Rebecca came to Panama through a Princeton in Latin America fellowship for a one-year teaching position in environmental education and found an unparalleled opportunity to grow her dream farm on her own terms. James was working in Africa in the petroleum industry and came to Panama in search of waves and the freedom to design his own life. He is passionate about animal husbandry and old-world recipes for smoking, salting, and curing meats.

Rebecca is originally from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and James hails from a small family-owned cattle ranch in South Texas, but it took a sleepy fishing town in rural Panama to bring them together. Side by side they have built Finca 588 from the ground up, converting a completely degraded cattle pasture to an abundant and beautiful permaculture homestead that sustains their family.

We believe that you choose your own hard; our life is hard work but immensely rewarding and satisfying, as we slowly carve away dependence on outside systems by creating our own. We believe there is a way for everyone to begin practicing a little bit of cultivated independence in their own lives. As Arthur Ashe said, “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.”

After 13 years of lessons hard learned, we have diligently worked our way through the traditional skills learning curve. Our workshops offer a deep dive experience to jumpstart your learning.

Natural Cheesemaking

Raw milk. Living cultures. Real cheese.

We milk our goats each morning. By afternoon, that milk has been transformed into delicious nutrient packed cheese. You will work with raw milk from our own herd and learn to make both fresh and aged cheeses from scratch: renneting, pressing, salting, and the art of reading a ripening wheel. The tropical climate throws its own curveballs. We've condensed years of learning into a class that leaves you empowered to go home and make cheese on your own.

Inquire about this workshop →

Whole Animal Butchery

The whole animal. Zero waste.

The pig is one of the most generous animals for the table — and the most misunderstood. Over a full day, we process a whole pig raised here on the finca and work through every part: primal cuts, sausage-making, lard rendering, and the foundations of cured meats. You hold the knife. You learn by doing. You leave understanding why entire food cultures were built around this animal, and with some hard earned & delicious value added pork.

1 full day Max 6 people Meals included Take-home cuts

Inquire about this workshop →