El Socorro
إل سوكورو
Producer Diego de la Cerda can trace his coffee- producing lineage to the early 19th century when Antonio López Colom began working at Finca El Socorro. In 1960, Antonio’s daughter, Maria Colom and her husband, Mario de la Cerda took over the farm. Then, their son, Juan de la Cerda Colom oversaw production before passing the farm to his own son, Diego de la Cerda.
The Cerdas continue to focus on producing high quality coffee like this Maracaturra lot. Maracaturra is known for its large bean size, inherited from its Maragogype parent and great taste profile, inherited from its Caturra parent. The profile is known for its bright acidity and notes of tropical fruit.
Coffee is shaded by native shade trees. These shade trees also provide habitat for a diverse population of animals.
Cherry is selectively handpicked and delivered to the on-site wet mill. Once pulped, parchment and remaining mucilage is laid to dry on patios and in a greenhouse. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying
Maracaturra is a cross between Maragogype and Caturra is a high-yielding variety from Brazil. It was the result of a naturally occurring cross between the 2 varieties in the 1800s. Now, it is mainly found in Brazil, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The trees are short with verdant foliage that protects it from wind damage. They are high-yielding and can be planted closely together.
The quality of coffee being produced in Guatemala is increasing, overall, due to the diversity of the industry’s producers. There are more and more small holder farmers producing exceptional coffee at high altitudes.
Cooperatives are becoming more appealing to so many smallholders because they often offer farmers financing and other support for improving their farming and processing and are frequently able to offer higher prices for cherry than middlemen. Many cooperatives have initiated quality improvement training for farmer members and are becoming more adept at helping members market their coffee as specialty.
