Overview

Teopán in Mayan means “Sacred place”. This forest-farm is located at the west face of the Ilamatepec Volcano, or Santa Ana Volcano, inside the basin of what use to be the Coatepeque Volcano, which now is a lake. This area is well recognized as part of our remaining biosphere. Also this location has been affected several times by natural disasters like the 2001 earthquake, the 2005 eruption of the Ilamatepec Volcano and the Hurricane Stan, but the quality of the land is so good and grateful that we are able to recover with faith and hard labor.

For Félix Canizales, this farm means the joy in his life. He proudly presents his coffee and other crops from this magnificent tropical-like property. The farm’s extension is 23 hectares, 21 of which are cultivated with shade grown coffee, in altitudes that range between 1,000 -1,500 meters above sea level. Some of the cultural practices for the conservation of the soil are natural barriers and counter lines for organic deposits, fertilization consists in 3 aspersions of bio-stimulants, and one ground form applied directly to the soil.

The lot selected to participate in this year’s Cup of Excellence is of the Pacamara variety, from 20 year old trees, which are the same age as Felix’s son, Juan Canizales, this is the reason why this plot is called “Juancho’s plot”. This effort to participate has been a great experience for this family’s union, for father and son worked together to obtain this result. Also they know the importance of the people who work with them, and that’s why they support the area’s public school “Santo Domingo”, and maintain a close relationship with the workers, which are 10 permanent and over 100 pickers during harvest time.

They expect to improve the quality even more in the future, and to keep participating in this program. They hope to be able to establish a long term relationship with specialty coffee buyers who appreciate their coffee.

Additional information
Location: Cantón Planes de la Laguna, Santa Ana
Coffee varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Pacamara.
Type of Shade: Ingas, Pepeto peludo, cuje, chaparro, Tarai, Zapotillo, Guachipilin, etc.
Average Annual Rainfall: 3,500 mm
Average Temperature: 18º C
Type of Soil: Sandy loam
Annual Production: (60kg) 270 bags
Mill and company where lot was process: Cooperativa La Majada de R.L.
Other crops: Flowers, Citrics, Jocote Corona, Orranges, Mamey, Paterna, etc.
Fauna: Birds: local and migratory birds, woodpeckers, doves, Turquoise-browed motmot. Small mammals: Armadillos, Rabbit, Squirrels, etc.

GPS Coordinates
Latitude: 13º 50’ 50.4” N
Longitude: 89º 36’ 12.8 W