Café Pacas has been working with Finca La Guachoca since 2008, producing some of the finest coffees in their portfolio. The farm derives its name from the quail-like birds that inhabit area. Since 2013, work has been underway renovating this farm, focusing on specialty coffee varietals such as Red Bourbon, Orange Pacamara, and Bernardina. The combination of shade trees and coffee plants creates a diverse ecosystem that supports wide range of plants and animals. Café Pacas is committed to ongoing efforts in soil and water conservation, biodiversity preservation, and sustainability practices on the farm. In addition to coffee, Finca La Guachoca also cultivates jocote, a local fruit that is harvested during the month of September. The cultivation of jocote serves as an additional source income for farm.
Coffee cherries are carefully hand-picked at the farm. After harvesting, any underripe, dry, or green cherries are carefully removed. The cherries are then transported to the wet mill and immediately spread out on patios for drying. These layers of coffee are meticulously moved 5-8 times each day, ensuring consistent drying. During the night, the coffee is gathered into small batches and covered with jute bags to protect it from dew or unexpected rainfall. The humidity of the coffee is measured daily. Once it reaches 10-11%, the coffee is carefully packed into jute bags and stored in a designated area in the warehouse to maintain traceability. The dried cherries remain in the warehouse until they are ready to undergo the dry milling process and be prepared for export.
Country of Origin
El Salvador
Region
Coatepeque, Santa Ana
Producer Type
Single Estate
Farm Name
Finca La Guachoca
Wet Mill
Vivagua
Processing
Natural/Dry Processed
Processing Description
Sun-dried on patios
Growing Altitude
1450m
Harvest Season
2023/24
Bag Weight
69 KG BAG
Bag Type
Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species
Arabica
Variety
Red Bourbon
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.
