Overview

At 1250 meters above sea level Matalapa is located in the La Cumbre mountain range (part of El Bálsamo-Quetzaltepec mountain range) in the canton (geographic area) of Juan Higinio, Department of La Libertad, this region is renowned for the full body and fine acidity of its Stricly High Grown coffee. Matalapa which loosely translated from Nahuat means “land where rivers are born”, true to its name, has 21 fresh water springs which feed into the El Zope river. It is situated facing the Pacific Ocean whose gentle mists and occasionally fierce winds, probably account for its unique micro climate.

The farm which was originally acquired by my great grandmother Fidelia Lima in 1913 consists of 71 hectares of which 65.74 hectares are cultivated with Bourbon and Pacas varietals of coffee under numerous species of shade trees,44 have been classified including oak, cedar, mango, weeping willow, avocado, maquilishuat (national tree) amongst others. The remaining 5.59 hectares are tropical forest which provides an ideal habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna, 54 species and varieties of birds have been spotted, many of which are on the list of species in danger of extinction. Matalapa receives an average rainfall of 2,200-2,500 millimeters per year, the harvest normally begins around December and ends between February and March, at present it produces around 900 bags (60kg) per year.

Matalapa previously produced between 1,600 bags per year but a series of natural and market related disasters considerably affected the farm’s production. The dismal coffee prices beginning in 2000 set off the decline in production followed by the 2001 earthquake which severely damaged the farm. Tons of rocks and earth shattered and buried sections of the farm while virtually destroying the existing infrastructure and leaving it virtually isolated when the road leading to the farm disappeared under the rubble. In 2005 we were hit by hurricane Stan and again parts of this farm were buried under mudslides and the road was completely blocked. In January of this year hurricane force winds struck El Salvador and Guatemala leaving 30% of the crop on the ground and defoliating close to 70% of the coffee trees. All of these events have considerably affected production, the majority of farms in the area have been put up for sale, Matalapa has persisted in great part thanks to the Cup of Excellence program. In 2003 when the program was initiated in El Salvador Matalapa participated and ranked 31st, successfully selling coffee through the internet auction allowing us to create a strong relationship with our buyers. This acknowledgement of our coffee’s fine quality opened up new perspectives, the opportunity to sell to buyers of top quality coffee and the confidence to keep husbandry activities at Matalapa despite the challenges.

Matalapa’s coffee is carefully processed in Beneficio el Paraiso in the traditional manner to fully enhance its inherent qualities. When the daily harvest is received at the mill it is immediately passed through the depulping and fermenting stations then later moved to the patios to be sun dried, the coffee in parchment state is carefully stored and catalogued by day of harvesting. When a lot is prepared for export it first goes through husking machines then various classifying machines and finally hand selected by experienced women from around Jayaque, all of which ensures an exceptionally fine and unique coffee. The beneficio was built by Doña Fidelia in the early 1900’s and the original milling equipment is still in use powered by a steam engine with belt driven gears. The boiler is heated with “cascarilla” (parchment skin) and prunings from the coffee trees, conserving energy by dramatically reducing the need for other fuels. Over the last year we have dedicated a lot of work to restoring the mill and improving the original systems with some newer equipment to increase efficiency and reduce the already low environmental impact. 2008 Barista Champion, Kyle Glanville from Intelligentsia coffee won the competition using a single origin espresso from Finca Matalapa.

Additional information:
Location: Cantón Juan Higinio, Jayaque
Coffee Varieties: Bourbon and Pacas Farm
Altitude: 1,250 Mts. above sea level
Other crop: 5 Ha. of native forest
Average Annual Precipitation: 2,500 mm
Average Temperature: 24°C
Type of Soil: Clay-Loam
Type of Shade: Pepetos, Maquilishuat, Oak, Nogal, others
Annual Production: (Average in 60 kg bags) 900 bags
Mill where lot was processed: Beneficio el Paraiso

GPS Coordinates:
Latitude: 13° 39’ 6.34’’ N
Longitude: 89°27’ 44.12 W