Maria Mercedez Martinez

Alberto Blandon Cantero left Finca La Misericordia to his son, Alvaro Gerardo Blandon, many years ago. Alvaro, however, had been involved with coffee for more than 16 years, helping his father and family with the farm processes and harvesting. Back then, while he was helping his father, he noticed that coffee wasn’t that profitable when what was being produced was only regular, conventional coffee. So, after inheriting Finca La Misericordia from his father, Alvaro decided to try producing specialty coffee instead. He hoped this would guarantee him a better price, and most importantly for him, money to re-invest back into his farm, to improve infrastructure and processes.

During these last couple of years, he and his team learned to ferment his coffee properly, improve infrastructure, and be more hygienic with all post-harvest processes. He also focused a lot of energy on only collecting ripe cherries. The coffee is pulped and fermented dry (without water) for a period of 18 to 24 hours and then it has been washed with clean water, after washing it is briefly stored in bags and transferred to La Concordia for optimal drying.

Sadly, Alvaro passed away in 2020 leaving behind an amazing farm and legacy. Now, the farm is run by his wife Maria Mercedes Martinez. She proudly continues with their goal of having a beautiful farm that stands out amongst the rest because of its excellent quality.