About This Coffee
The Caceres family has been cultivating Finca Las Mañanitas for more than 150 years. The great-great-great grandfather of the current owners, Fabio Morán purchased the land in the mid-1800s.
Mama Tita and Papa Ricardo, the parents of the current owner, Rosa Marta Erazo de Caceres, continued the family tradition of cultivating the land. Mama Tita was born near Finca Las Mañanitas and inherited the farm from her father, Papa Manuel. Papa Manuel was the one who first planted coffee trees on the farm. Papa Ricardo, Mama Tita’s husband, is well known in the family for his love of coffee cultivation and his dedication to his craft. “He was born with a passion to cultivate the best coffee,” his children say. He passed away in 2010 but his children continue his legacy of cultivating delicious coffees.
The farm is named after the song, Las Mañanitas, which is the local version of the Happy Birthday tune. Nowadays, it’s a tradition to play this song often at the farm.
Cultivation
The Santa Ana and Izalco volcanoes are visible from Finca Las Mañanitas. The volcanoes have deposited volcanic loam that provides plenty of nutrients for coffee trees to flourish.
El Salvador is small and densely populated. Finca Las Mañanitas provides a habitat for many creatures ranging from bees that pollinate the flowers to deer that graze amongst the coffee trees.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked by hand. Once picked, ripe, red cherry is laid to dry. Cherry is turned frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 20 to 30 days for cherry to dry.
Coffee in El Salvador
Don’t be fooled by El Salvador’s small size. It was once the 4th largest coffee producer worldwide and continues to produce high quality lots. The country is known for its great cupping varieties, such as Bourbon and Pacamara. In fact, two beloved, frequently high-scoring varieties—Pacas and Pacamara— originated in El Salvador.
Unlike other countries, where specialty coffee production has required a great deal of additional investment and training, El Salvador already has a broad and skilled specialty coffee workforce. Farming traditions run deep, and many Salvadorian farmers are extremely passionate about coffee production and continuously strive to improve their crop. El Salvador has optimal conditions for coffee processing. The prolonged dry season typically occurs during the harvest season, making it easier to sun dry coffee.
Though coffee output in the country has been declining for over two decades – exacerbated by the CLR crisis – the approach to coffee production has changed from volume- to quality-driven. A new generation of coffee producers has sprouted around the country with a new vision and approach to production. Many of this generation are experimenting with processing and varietals.