86.75

Farm’s name and location:

El Sauce farm is located in the El Sauce community in the municipality of Santa Barbara, Department of Santa Barbara. It has an altitude of 1550 and 1,650 meters above sea level and is located 14 km from the Pena Blanca community, Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Cortes.
What is your farm’s history? Is your farm a family unit? How long has it belonged to your family? How many members make up your family? I started growing coffee in 1985 as a family and I have also dedicated to the cultivation of vegetable gardens, and I have 21 hectares of coffee and my family is made up by my wife and I and 6 offspring ages 46,45,42,40, 37 and 31 years old.
How many persons work in your farm, family members, permanent employees and temporary employees? Three sons work in the farm and we have 5 permanent employees and hire around 40 to 80 temporary workers for the coffee harvest. What natural resources conservation practices do you follow in the farm? 1 – Within the farm there is a protected area that is untouchable because it has water sources in 5.6 hectares.
2 – The 21 hectares plot of land has a low grade of inclination between 2 and 10% so it is almost flat and has no type of water erosion. What is the shade percentage and the varieties found in your farm? It has 20% of shade due to its altitude of 1550 to 1650 meters above sea level.
What type of fertilization process do you use in your farm? We use granulated fertilizer with complete and balanced formulas 18-3-18, and also use foliar fertilizers. What type of management do you use in your farm (traditional, semi-technical, technical?)The management of the farm is technical because besides fertilizing the soil and foliage there is also tissue management every year after the harvest.
Are you part of an association or cooperative? No.
What is the secret for winning this competition (describe the preparation process of the competing lot)? 1 –Good farm management in order to get an excellent coffee berry and follow all the required norms for a good clean milling process and sun drying the coffee on a cement patio. How does it feel to be a winner of the Cup of Excellence? Satisfied and happy to have positively materialized the effort made in the farm.
Who prepares your coffee for exportation? (Explain how you sell it and to whom)All the coffee is prepared and sold to other exporters through the coffee sales representative “Madrid” in Pena Blanca, Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Cortes.
What is your opinion of the Cup of Excellence? I have participated in the cup of Excellence since 2006 and most of the times I have entered the competition with the at the international jury level.