Regional Details:
El Salvador is a country in renaissance when it comes to coffee. The civil war has been over for nearly three decades and subsequent decades of violence has begun to wane. Leaf rust is ever present but renovation strategies have curbed the crisis. Almost everybody here possesses the coffee know-how drawn from three or four generations. There are simply no limits to the ways this generation of El Salvadoran producers has embraced the specialty coffee market with the duality of tradition and innovation.
Sourcing Details:
Tradition and innovation is exactly the way Ricardo Valdivieso and his daughter Monica managed Finca Santa Leticia. Ricardo continues to cultivate traditional varieties like Pacamara and Bourbon and relies on shade trees to protect the ecology of the estate. Royal has been working with Ricardo for many years and so we know a lot about him. His life and relationship with coffee is an amazing story to get to know. Ricardo’s grandfather (an important statesman in the history of El Salvador) purchased the land in 1870 and named the finca after his wife, Leticia. Finca Santa Leticia was passed down to Ricardo during a time of great turmoil in El Salvador’s history. At the peak of conflict in the 1980s, Ricardo came face to face with a firing squad in defense of his family’s land. He was not shot but spent many years in exile before he was able to return to Finca Santa Leticia. Over the decades his career as a coffee producer has been challenged in just about every way you could imagine. Read more here. In addition to coffee, Monica operates a beautiful hotel and restaurant at Finca Santa Leticia. Mayan artifacts that Ricardo’s father discovered on the property have also been preserved as an archaeological site for visitors to enjoy.
Processing Details:
Today, Ricardo works alongside Monica year round on best farm management practices to protect their groves of Pacamara and Bourbon varieties from leaf rust. Through years of experience, they have learned which cherries respond exceptionally well to being processed naturally and the method also saves a tremendous amount of water resources, which is good for the environment. During the harvest a great deal of care and focus is dedicated to picking the best quality of cherry and gently drying it on clay patios.
