85.18

Overview:

Mr. Julian Ventura has 14 years of work on the farm Casa de Zinc, and a lifetime of knowing their surroundings. Since he was a child knows the names of trees, land, abundant and rich soil in a region that honestly considers home. From child knows the stories and tales of the mountains, and above all remember the story told by his parents, a story which they, in turn, known by their grandparents. In the late nineteenth century, who lived in the area did in straw huts in modest houses built of perishable materials. Between those people were the ancestors of Don Julian, who, in times past, from generation to generation, inhabited the mountains generously, offered their most precious fruit: coffee. On these mountains were two farms devoted to the crop of such fruit, called Villa de Guadalupe and Ojo de Agua. On these farms was built, for the first time in the history of the region, the first house of sheet zinc, used to store farm implements and religious figures. Because of its novelty, this structure was soon to captivate the attention of the inhabitants of the region, who, with a feeling almost of affection, began to call the farm town of Guadalupe and Ojo de Agua as those where is the Zinc House” . In later years it was decided to join both farms, and there was no better name for the new estate that Zinc House. Located in a fully preserved ecosystem within a unique natural habitat in the coffee region by excellence of El Salvador , Apaneca - Ilamatepec, Zinc House farm rises to an average height of 1,200 meters above sea level in a semi broken terrain, clay loam, ideal for the coffee harvest, in which you can see species of native trees, exotic fruit variety of colors and dream animals, as well as the birth of two natural water springs, which provide the villagers and whose water flows constantly seek the sea, always on the horizon. During the long years of civil war that ravaged the country in the 80s, the former House of Zinc was abandoned by its owners, the coffee plants uncultivated, neglected trails to be covered by the forest until the late 90, the new owners decided to revive the property, intending to use the best standards of planting, caring for the environment and develop plans preparation, and training of farm workers. Thats why Zinc House is proudly Rainforest Alliance certification, dedicated to the preservation of the natural ecosystem of the farm, providing fair treatment and good working conditions for workers, and encouraging student participation in children living in the property, giving them school supplies, transportation and electricity, invaluable aid in an environment where child labor and school dropout is very common. The firm has grown varieties of coffee Pacamara, Pacas and Bourbón, 2010 harvest being the latter won the 2010 Cup of Excellence award. One hundred years after the construction of the first house of zinc, Don Julian Ventura, his family and three other local families live on this farm of 75.6 hectares, where they have their homes, and no straw, and no zinc foil, but strong material, with all the basic services of water and energy generated by solar panels, growing with their work as fruitful as the Salvadoran land has given his people, and which has recognition worldwide for its quality and excellence: coffee. Additional farm information:
Location: Ahuachapan, Apaneca-Ilamatepec
Coffee varieties: Bourbón
Type of Shade: Ingas sp, and native rain forest
Average Annual Rainfall: 2000 mm
Average Temperature: 21°C
Type of Soil: Clay loam
Annual Production: 200 bags (60kg bags)
Mill and company where lot was process: Cooperativa Cuzcachapa