85.83

Overview

After being many years an employee of a very well-known coffee farmer and miller in Usulutan, Jose Armando Zepeda became captivated with the cultivation of coffee and in 1978 made the decision to buy a 28 hectares piece of land on the top of the Tecapa mountain in Usulutan. During the civil war, the area was difficult to access and Zepeda gave his farm the name El Optimismo or Optimism, looking to baptize his project with a sense of positivism and hope. Although he achieved the dream of owning his own farm, the civil conflict of the 1980s affected the continuity of his work and made it nearly impossible to visit the property due to unrest in the area. In the 1990s, Don Jose Armando passed the farm on to his wife, Socorro. Less than ten years ago the Zepeda family, under the leadership of Patricia, the younger daughter of the four children of Jose Armando and Socorro, decided to revive the semi-abandoned property replanting a 16.1 hectare area. Having ranked 12th place on 2007 and 31st on the 2008 Cup of Excellence, the family decided to participate again this year, trying to improve the picking and selection process. They personally trained pickers in the process of harvesting in order to assure that each cherry would be picked at its peak ripeness. Patricia Zepeda embodies the name of the farm in all that she does. After all of her hard work and her meticulous eye for quality she was sure that “El Optimismo” would be one of the winners of the Cup of Excellence. The system implemented in the harvest phase has become a permanent fixture; it is representative of an unwavering commitment to quality. Patricia feels incredibly proud of the success and credits her parents for all of their contributions. She is very thankful with all national and international juries for having chosen her coffee; moreover, she thanks her workers since this award would be impossible without their hard work. With an average production of 230 bags (60 Kg), the family is hoping to increase production step by step. This year, a nursery was set up and they are growing 2,500 new coffee trees to start working on the renewal of the farm, keeping always the 100% Bourbón line. Although they may have won the Cup of Excellence, the Zepeda family will continually seek for ways to improve their coffee, so they receive technical assistance from Unex S.A. de C.V. which is the miller that process their coffee. They elaborate an annual plan, support its implementation and give periodic follow up. These jobs also mean benefits not only to the farm but to the workers and the surrounding area. The Zepeda’s are committed with their workers, they have running water and bathrooms as well as living quarters for its employees. The will bring doctors for children and adults when school time begins, including medicine and preventive vaccination. Also, this year, a new project is shaping up: they are coordinating and working with the community on setting up the electric service for the farm and the surrounding community. The future holds many things but the Zepeda family would like to increase productivity and continue producing great coffees with dedication and passion. They have a dream that one day the farm will become an ecotourism hot spot.

Additional information

Location: Canton San Juan, Alegria
Coffee varieties: Bourbón and Pacas
Type of Shade: Pepeto, Pine, Guachipilin, avocado, chaperno, cedar and other native trees
Average Annual Rainfall: 1,800 mm
Average Temperature: 21º C
Type of Soil: Sandy clay loam
Annual Production: (60kg) 230 bags
Mill and company where lot was process: Beneficio Oromontique, Unex S.A. de C.V. Other area: 1.9 ha, natural forest
Fauna: Deer, Armadillo, Central American agouti, wildcats, clay-colored robin, emerald toucan, fox, hawk, raccoon, etc.

GPS Coordinates

Latitude: 13º 29’ 44.6’’ N
Longitude: 88º 30’ 19.9’’ W