Specialty coffee El Salvador Hermanos Mena Bourbon

Species: Arabica Altitude: 1300-1388 masl Process: Natural Screen: 15+ Variety: Bourbon Production Area: Apaneca Producer:  Villa España Martines Category: Specialty coffee

Profile

Region El Salvador

Information: Jorge, Alfredo and Víctor Mena are the sixth generation of coffee growers in his family, they are in charge of managing the Villa España Farm, The three brothers are located in the coffee-growing municipality of Concepción de Ataco. had great references from which to learn about coffee cultivation, their great-great-grandparents, their great-great-grandparents The coffee mills had a dry mill that operated with steam, and after drying the coffee was threshed and shaken. The Mena family has always invested in changes and improvements to their farms. Currently Jorge32 years old, is in charge of the administrative and commercial processes of the Farms, it carries out control and management of the personnel and the marketing of the Coffee family’s U.S. cafés, in addition to coordinating logistical, legal, and administrative aspects of all exports, including those from Europe. Alfredo, 31 years old, is in charge of the farms and everything related to coffee production. He coordinates the field work, from the nurseries, through planting and fertilization to the harvesting of the fruits. Alfredo is in charge of planning all the work on the farm to achieve a good production and quality of coffee. other producers in the region to exchange knowledge and best production practices.

Victor, 29 years old,, is in charge of Prepare budgets and prioritize investments to be made both in the Farms and in the Coffee mill. Its analyses help to make decisions that add value in different aspects of the chain, both at the farm level and in profit and marketing, thus improving the company’s productivity. The history of the farm dates back to the end of años 1800s when José Manuel Ariz emigrated from Galicia, Spain, and set out on his journey to America, initially settling in Guatemala and later in El Salvador, where he began growing coffee. Villa España was one of the first coffee farms in the area, it had its own coffee mill, which was operated by a series of machines based on steam produced by boilers.

This mill ceased operations around 1970, when the beneficiation process was moved to another area with better operational qualities, due to its abundant water and strategic location. The Farm has evolved over the years, it has had its ups and downs in terms of volume, but as time has gone on actions have been taken to make production sustainable and diversified. There is currently a El jardín de variedades que sirve como prueba piloto y que permite identificar si las variedades que se siembran van a ser aptasas para las condiciones que presenta la Farm.A planned planting strategy has also been implemented in order to replace the oldest and most affected coffee plantations with new varieties that are already acclimatized to the zone. Its maximum altitude is 1450 meters above sea level and its climate does not exceed 25ºC. Apart from agriculture, the farm has a high potential for tourism as it is located in one of the most picturesque towns in the country, Ataco.

The Villa España farm, managed by Victor, Alfredo and Jorge Mena, has become the family’s flagship farm, where specialty coffees are produced, given its optimal conditions for the production of high quality coffee.