Story
Finca San Francisco & Beneficio Las Cruces
Finca San Francisco is a large farm of 294 hectares that has been divided into "tablones". Cherries from each tablon are kept separate for improved processing and preparation. The tablones range in altitudes from 1200 masl up to 1700 masl.
This farm is part of a project with an El Salvadorian producer, Jose Antonio Salaverria and his two sons Andres and Jose Antonio, the younger. They are 6th generation coffee producers, their ancestors started growing coffee in Huachapan. Jose Antonio Senior's father offered him a house in 1970, but Jose Antonio asked for a farm instead. He was given Finca Los Nogales, which remains in the family.
The coffees from the different farms are all processed at their beneficio (central mill). They bought Beneficio Las Cruces in 1990 and have made significant improvements since then. Much of their success is due to their passion for coffee. They are hard working and realistic, patient and focused on quality to make their business sustainable. They have also built a great team. Jose Antonio considers his staff as the company's biggest asset.
The family has three main areas of coffee production around the Santa Ana volcano in El Salvador. They have always produced high quality at a larger scale, but previously the coffee was mainly separated into a few brand names based on the three main areas, Santa Rita, San Francisco and El Molino.
The Salaverrias grow a number of different varietals at their farms. The majority is still a mix of the traditional Bourbon Elite, and something they call Hibrido San Francisco which is a mix of Bourbon Elite and Pacas.
Processing
The most impressive thing about coffees from the Salaverria family is the overall quality of picking: deep blood red and uniform colour. Considering the volumes they grow, it is pretty amazing!
They use eco pulpers called Jotagallo that manage to remove about 80% of the mucilage. Their standard procedure is to take the parchment from the pulpers directly to the patio for drying. Cherries then get soaked overnight for ten hours after pulping. The cup is brighter and cleaner, it seems like shelf life can be increased and the acidity profile more distinct. The cups tend to be more closed in the beginning, but they normally open up some months after picking. The coffees are then dried on a clay patio for up to 15 days, or on drying beds in sun or under shade.
Naturals
The Salaverria family has a long tradition of producing naturals that are a much higher quality than many others from Central America. They have good weather conditions for naturals: a dry climate, and not too hot. The family dry most of their naturals on patios at higher altitudes than Las Cruces. We believe slower drying on African beds decreases the flavour of ferment and pulp, and contributes to a cleaner and more complex profile.
Varietals
Most of these coffees are of what the Salaverrias call the San Francisco variety—that’s a hybrid of Pacas and the old Bourbon Elite, developed at the farm. Some of the blocks do contain old Bourbon trees, Bourbon Elite, and a mix of Bourbon and Pacas. Occasionally you can find Pacamaras as well as Catuai, Caturra and Catimors. They have recently established blocks and gardens experimenting with new and exotic cultivars.
Agronomy and plant treatment
Leaf rust has been one of the major challenges for farmers in El Salvador the last few years. Many producers are now giving up and abandoning their farms. The Salaverrias have worked the last 8 years to regenerate the soil through usage of Huisil (organic compost/fertiliser) as a soil regenerator.
Jose Antonio Senior is one of the founders of the Huisil factory, where they produce fertiliser based on organic waste. Coffee pulp makes up 40%, the rest is from fish, meat, chicken dung, bones and plants. It smells terrible during production, but after it is dried it is converted into pellets which are easier on the nose, plus this fertiliser really works! The problem is that with the aggressive leaf rust attacks, it’s a gamble. They risk losing a lot of their production if they don’t use the traditional fertilisers in the mix.
According to Jose Antonio junior, who is managing the agronomy side, it’s about making the plants healthy, strong and resistant. This is what they currently do: Use 50% Huisil in all farms as well as nitrogen to develop new growth and potassium for the bean to grow and develop. They also use a combination of boron, sink, sulphur and magnesium. In June/July they need a complete mix to help the plant develop the beans and stay strong. They apply two complex mixes and one pure nitrogen. They also apply foliars which are applied directly to the tree such as a copper foliar which creates a layer to prevent further leaf rust, but doesn’t kill the rust that is already there.
They experiment with different pruning and stumping methods which vary depending on the altitude and the cultivar. For many of the farms with Bourbon trees, they use the traditional “parra” method where they bend down the mother stems and allow up to four new shoots to develop into smaller trees on each stem. One old tree can cover a couple of square metres and they become very productive if you do it right.
Sustainability and social responsibility
60% of their production is Rainforest Certified. The Salaverrias give significant bonuses to farm managers based on the performance of the coffees and premiums the coffee earns.
The family employs as many permanent staff members as possible, which allows them to maintain a loyal workforce, 50 – 60 of these workers live on their farms. They offer better salaries for the pickers, and teach good environmental practices in picking. By creating good systems they help workers to be efficient so they can leave earlier and spend more time with families.
They offer work safety education, provide housing for casual workers in San Francisco. health care for workers through doctors visiting the farms, plus they pay the local clinics for medical care of their workers.They also built two medical clinics in Atacco and are supporting them financially and donated land to two other clinics for the government. They donated a site for the school in San Francisco, and are building a soccer field. The tradition and culture of the family is generally to do a lot of charity for the local communities.