Santa Julia - El Salvador 2013 Verified listing

Overview:

Ricardo Alonso Escobar and Soledad Ines Escobar, owners of Santa Julia farm, who`s coffee tradition comes from their grandfather Juan Antonio Escobar, and their mother Alejandrina Castaneda Escobar. They are in charge of the managing and working the farm, their parents make them the love and the skills for coffee farming. Ricardo Alonso Escobar is the one legally authorized for administrative transactions.

This farm is annually managed with all production and labor requirements; Santa Julia Farm is located at Ilamatec Mountain Range, at an altitude 1600 masl, in the northern slope of the Santa Ana volcano.

That region is very special for coffee growing because of its climate and its soil. The ripeness of the cherry is slow under biggest trees that provide the adequate shade, which makes gives the coffee very special flavor and aroma characteristics.

Gracefully located at “Buenos Aires” almost at the top of the Santa Ana Volcano, Santa Julia farm enjoys a breath-taking view, climate, rainfall and the care of her owners. Ricardo Escobar is a chemical engineer, his sister Soledad Escobar is a housewife and also coffee producers. They inherited this farm from their mother, Alejandrina Castaneda Escobar a few years ago and together they managing and supervise all the works. This farm was initiated for their grandfather Juan Antonio Escobar, in the first half of last century.

Some of the cultivation practices they develop at the farm are the continuous pruning of the coffee and shade trees, weed control, fertilization, replanting and renewing the farm. Last year (October 2012), due the “roya” attack the farm was fumigated with the recommended systemic fungicide, all of these works are executed using manual methods by local labor people.

Because of the high altitude in which Santa Julia is located the farm ripens slowly, and this year they had to wait until middle of March to harvest appropriately when the farm had evenly ripened. Finding workers around this area is very difficult because there several farms that hire people, besides some of them migrated to the lower parts due that the eruption of the Santa Ana volcano in 2005. In this farm  live several peoples, the manager, Sifredo Hernández and his wife, live close to the farm, during the cultivation tasks an average of 8 workers are hired, but for the harvest employed around 40 to 50 selected pickers from the surrounding areas, and pay them almost 30% above the legal wage.

Ricardo and Soledad thinks the reason why this farm was awarded this year is the excellent quality of the Bourbón variety, the soil conditions, also its altitude and fresh climate. They are highly motivated to keep up with the optimum harvest and sorting processes to improve the quality each year, the key to this is motivating the people that work the farm, teaching them the importance of their role, and improving their skills with tranning and social benefits for everyone involved.

Other Statistics:

Location: Cantón Buenos Aires, Santa Ana

Coffee varieties: Bourbón 90% and Pacas 10%.

Type of Shade: Pepeto, Guachipilín, Avocado.

Average Annual Rainfall: 3,000 mm

Average Temperature: 23º C

Average Annual Production: (60kg) 240 bags

Mill and company where lot was process: Cooperativa San José La Majada de R.L.

Fauna: Rabbits, Tacuazines, Armadillos, Suirrels, Cotuza, Different kinds of birds, Sparrows, doves, red fronted woodpeecker, Quail, etc.

GPS Coordinates

Latitude: N 13º 52’ 56.87”

Longitude: W 89º 38’ 30”