El Sauce

This farm was founded by Mr. Esteban Madrid Chavez in 1978 when he actually bought the land and started planting coffee, same farm that now is owned and operated by his sons and grandsons, that work in different parcels, one of those parcels belongs to Franklin. He works all year at the farm, applies manual weed control, shade regulation and is constantly taking samples for plagues and pest control. he fertilizes on a granular manner once in march and a second time in august, also uses pulp as fertilizer. Due to his high altitude the farm does not have a plague problem, but he always takes care in preventing the problem

Due to the excess of moisture he uses only 10% shade in his farm, using ingas but mostly fruits trees, specially peaches and red prunes. He starts picking coffee in February and finishes in may, he always gives a speech for training and encouraging his pickers before harvest begins. Most of the coffee is transported by the picker to the mill the far areas by car. He uses a Water efficient wet mill and removes the mucilage mechanically, The National Park of Santa Barbara provides the water source, which complies with all the pollution regulation by law.

Franklin dries this coffee in patios and screens, he thinks the key of is success is the constant training his workers have and the constant planting of trees in the farm and the farm surroundings, his whole family is environmentally aware and protect nature, they have placed signs around the plantation to protect the forest and the water sources, as well as the fauna. The coffee crisis prices have affected him and his family reducing the coffee production and the hand labor in farm activities.