Las Duanas, 86.4 - El Salvador 2021

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

The property where the site of the farm is located belonged to Ignacio Mena, who was a farmer and rancher. At first the land was used for other crops. However, the family decided to commit exclusively to the coffee cultivation as a way of caring for the region's coffee forest, protecting biodiversity, and maintaining the ecosystem. That passion for caring for the environment has been transmitted to all members of the Finca Las Duanas team, and now the farm and its surroundings are home to many animals such as endangered deer of extinction, snakes, squirrels and cusucos. For the Mena Posada family it is very important to adopt eco-friendly practices so as not to pollute the air and maintain clean the water.

For the Mena Posada family, their path as coffee producers has not been easy. Although his father, Enrique Mena Gutiérrez, became a leader and motivator for That the family worked in the cafe, at the beginning, they were not entirely convinced. They perceived many obstacles, they thought that the farm was very far from their home, access was not easy - because there was no road enabled and you had to get there on horseback to access the farm, and no one in the family had much experience in cultivating of the coffee. In addition, investments had to be made so that their coffee crops were of quality.

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

Las Duanas farm has had the assistance of experts since its planning, election of coffee varieties, sowing, cutting, washing, drying and packaging processes, as they maintain a great responsibility towards the quality of their coffees. This way, making their way into the industry, they have broken schemes that inspire other coffee growers to practice responsible practices with the environment and to bet on quality.

Since its first production, Finca Las Duanas has obtained awards for quality of their coffee in the Trifinio Coffee Table contest held in Copan Ruinas, Honduras (2018, first place), and in El Salvador (2019, first place). It´s coffee has been also presented at the National Barista and Methods Championship in El Salvador (2020). This and more commit them and motivate them to continue innovating and getting better.

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