Lucia Abrego y La Familia Ortiz Barriere | Finca Las Mercedes

El Salvador

Finca Las Mercedes has everything we look for in a Direct Trade partner. All processing is done directly on the farm. They go to great lengths to ensure that their coffee is as pure and clean as possible. After the coffee is harvested, it is brought to ceramic-tiled tanks to be screened for defects before being processed. They adhere to strict guidelines about which cherries are accepted, because cherries with questionable ripeness have an adverse effect on the quality of the cup. The Las Mercedes mill uses the wet process, although other farms within the family of farms use a variety of processing techniques, including the semi-washed or honey process, and recently experimented with a “Double-Soak” process similar to a process used in Kenya.

Their dedication to sustainable practices, both environmentally and socially, is commendable. Finca Las Mercedes continually gives back to their community, having constructed and supplied a school, provided food for a nursing home, and supported the local soccer team. PT’s Coffee has pitched in with their efforts to help the community by providing medicines for the local clinic and soccer balls for the local team. The clinic currently serves more than 13 communities that surround Las Mercedes. 

Finca Las Mercedes is constantly making efforts to preserve natural wildlife by taking special care of the disposal of all by-products from the processing mill in order to avoid contamination to the local streams. And in compliance with the Rain Forest Alliance certification, any chemicals and pesticides are carefully stored and managed by trained personnel, avoiding intoxications and contaminations.

Past offerings from Finca Las Mercedes:

2022

La Avila Ferment Washed