11 - Las Duanas - El Salvador 2024 (Experimental)

Finca Las Duanas is in the Alotepec-Metapan mountain range in El Salvador, a mountain range close to the sky where clouds skim and birds celebrate the virtues of the land that feeds them. Located at an elevation of 1910 meters above sea level, the farm is surrounded by picturesque landscapes, such as the Miramundo hill, full of flowers and pine trees; and with the beautiful view of the towns of San Ignacio and La Palma in Chalatenango. Getting to Las Duanas Farm is a memorable adventure, crossing trails, springs and beautiful waterfalls.

The property where the farm site is located belonged to Ignacio Mena, who was a farmer and cattle rancher. Initially, the land was used for other crops. However, the family decided to commit exclusively to coffee cultivation as a way to care for the coffee forest of the region, protect biodiversity, and maintain the ecosystem. This passion for caring for the environment has been transmitted to all members of the Las Duanas team, and now the farm and its surroundings are home to many animals such as endangered deer, snakes, squirrels and cusucos. For the Mena Posada family it is very important to adopt eco-friendly practices to avoid polluting the air and keep the water clean.

For Mena Posada's family, their path as coffee growers has not been easy. Although their father, Enrique Mena Gutiérrez, became a leader and motivator for the family to work in coffee, at the beginning they were not completely convinced. They felt that the farm was very far from their home, the access was not easy, there was no road and it was necessary to arrive on horseback to access the farm, and no one in the family had much experience in the cultivation of coffee. In addition, investments had to be made so that their coffee crops would be of high quality.

Now, the work at Las Duanas is divided between the family and their collaborators. The father, Enrique, is the owner and boss; his son coordinates the work of the workers and oversees the logistics and management of the equipment, and Kriscia and her mother work in the administration, and oversee quality control and the processing of the coffee at home. They carry out this work with great enthusiasm and are constantly learning, as they recognize that there are still things to learn about the industry.

Las Duanas has had the assistance of experts from its planning, selection of coffee varieties, planting, cutting, washing, drying and packaging processes, as it maintains a great responsibility towards the quality of its coffees. In this way, making their way in the industry, they have broken schemes that inspire other coffee growers to make responsible practices with the environment and to bet on quality.

Since its first production, Las Duanas Farm has won awards for the quality of its coffee in the Trifinio Coffee Table competition held in Copan, Honduras (2018, first place), and in El Salvador (2019, first place). Their coffee has also been presented at the National Barismo and Methods Championship in El Salvador (2020). This and more engage and motivate them to continue innovating and improving.

Las Duanas Farm, despite being a small farm, is a place with big dreams. The family's long-term plans are to open a café-restaurant to sell their own coffees and educate consumers to appreciate the high quality of Salvadoran coffee; to train themselves to be able to export their product; and to support the coffee growers in the area with their coffee production in order to obtain better profitability.