Aurio Vasquez Ramirez

In the magnificent Triunfo National Park near the town of Jaltenango de la Paz lies Finca Salinas, run by a very dedicated coffee farmer, Aurio Vásquez. At an elevation of 1,600 MASL, Aurio and his wife grow traditional varieties such as Typica, Bourbon, and Caturra on their 2.5-hectare farm. They are a family of four: his wife and children. He handles the farm management, pruning, and fertilizing while his wife oversees the drying.

Before joining the Grower’s Education Program and supplying coffee to Caravela in 2020, he sold all his production to commercial buyers and received low prices for its quality potential. When he switched to specialty coffee, the first thing he did was change fermentation times, experimenting from 12 hours of fermentation in concrete piles to 24 to 36 hours for the last two harvests.

These changes allowed Aurio to move from RTB to A in the first year and continue to improve until he achieved higher quality and consistency in the cup. They also extended the drying time to 10 to 12 days on concrete patios. Since the region has a colder climate and less sunlight, the available sunlight can naturally extend drying times.

In the future, as a family, Aurio and his wife plan to continue experimenting with new forms of processing, such as anaerobic fermentation, honey, and natural coffee, and improve the existing infrastructure.