El Salvador - Finca La Antonieta Maragogype

Dark chocolate, sugar cane, candied orange, cherry jam, passion fruit

TOP LOT

Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2022/23
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P610934-1

Alameda, CA: Out of Stock Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

This single-variety lot consists of 100% washed Maragogype and comes to us via Bliss Coffee. It was grown on Finca La Antonieta, located in the San Miguel region of El Salvador.

The journey of Maragogype to Finca La Antonieta begins 25 years ago when Rene Pascal, an agronomist, visited Brazil in order to study their local varieties. While there, he observed that Maragogype, which is a Typica mutation, produces a unique and excellent cup profile when planted in very specific conditions. Pascal brought some seeds back with him, found La Antonieta to be an ideal location, as it sits at a higher elevation that most farms in El Salvador, is protected from sea breezes due to its location on the northern slope of the San Miguel volcano, and receives only four hours of mild sunlight a day.

Country of Origin	El Salvador
Region	Volcan Chaparrastique, San Miguel
Producer Type	Single Estate
Farm Name	Finca La Antonieta
Processing	Washed
Growing Altitude	1450m

Harvest Season	2022/23
Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Maragogype

History of El Salvador Coffee

Coffee was first introduced to El Salvador from the Caribbean as a garden crop in the mid-18th century but did not gain a commercial production foothold until 1850’s because indigo, easier to grow and more profitable, was king. Coffee was first exported—695 bags—in 1856 and the government began to encourage coffee farming. Exponential growth coincided with the development of synthetic indigo near the end of the century. At one time, El Salvador was one of the largest producers of commercial coffees. Today, with a focus on quality over quantity, 70% of coffee from El Salvador sells for a premium above commodity prices.

Growing Coffee in El Salvador

In 1975 El Salvador was, remarkably for its size, one of the largest coffee producers in the world, exporting 3.8 million bags. Today, a good year is 600,000 bags. Today, 86% of producers are responsible for only 20% of the country’s production, having 7 hectares or less. This means, that 80% of coffee production is controlled by only 14% of producers. And yet, because peace in El Salvador and the opening of coffee farming to smallholders coincided with the emergence of the specialty coffee sector in consuming countries and the inevitable rise of new-thinking generations within old families, there is a pervasive focus on quality regardless of farm size. Most coffee from El Salvador was sold at a differential price above commodity prices.