El Cocal, Geisha

It is estimated that up to 40% of harvests have been lost throughout central America due to the effect of Roya or coffee leaf rust. El Salvador, in particular has been hit hard by this disease and the last 4-5 years have been some of the toughest in recent history. More recently, coffee production and recovery has ramped up and while the storm is not over, the country has emerged once again as a specialty producer.

It's fourth generation coffee producers like the Alfaro family that are helping in the recovery.

Agricola San Agustin is the legal name of the company wholly owned by the Alfaro family. The current is the Alfaro's fourth generation that has been devoted in growing specialty coffee in El Salvador, near the town of Ataco, in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. The family also operates the mill Beneficio El Carmen where all their coffees are processed, having therefore complete control of the quality from the plant to export. The family is also dedicated in improving the quality of life of the nearby community, by creating jobs for the local residents and supporting local infrastructure like housing for their permanent workers. They are also helping nearby small producers by creating so called "quality nests", where they provide know-how and advice for them to improve their processes in order for them to increase their final quality, and be able to market their coffee as specialty grade instead of simple commodity coffee, hence receiving better prices. This parcel of Geisha coffee was planted three years ago and it's starting to reach its full potential this year.