Francisco Eliseo Rodriguez

FINCA LAS FLORES CHINAS STORY

Las Flores Chinas is Francisco’s farm, named after the former owner who planted flowers and a natural spring on the premises. As a coffee producer, Francisco started working with coffee 14 years ago and with specialty five years ago. He grew up surrounded by coffee since his grandfather and uncles were coffee producers. As a child, he recalls enjoying being on the farm, playing, and experiencing nature. He recalls, “When I was young, we lived in a very run-down house, which my family decided to revamp. While renovating the house, we discovered a container filled with artifacts, which we took out and realized was witchcraft! Since many were scared but unsure if it was real, they were afraid to visit the farm alone after that.” Today it is a tranquil and picturesque place.

Additionally, Francisco emphasizes that to achieve unparalleled quality, he relies on selective harvesting, floating the coffee in tanks, and de-pulping it the same day it’s harvested. He then performs a 20-hour dry fermentation (without water), washes the coffee, removes any lower density seeds he finds and hand-picks the coffee to remove any defect in the wet parchment. On average, the coffee is dried on raised beds for 15 to 17 days and patios for 11 to 13 days. Las Flores Chinas farm coffee plantation has three varieties: 60% Pacas, 35% Catuai, and 5% Catimor. Franciso says, “Working on the farm makes me proud because I can produce excellent quality, get a better price, and improve my family’s livelihood.”

Farm Varieties
Size
Total Farm Area

4.2 Hectares

Area in Coffee

2.2 Hectares

Location
Country

El Salvador

Municipality

La Palma

Department

Chalatenango

Elevation

1,564 MASL

Technical info
Harvest

December to February

Processing Method

Fully washed. 20-hour dry fermentation (without water) in tanks.

Shade

Guachipilin and Cujes.

Drying Method

Sun-dried on patios and raised beds.