Finca El Vergel - which translates to “The Orchard” - is aptly named. El Vergel was established in 2013 as an experimental coffee farm, to serve as a variety garden and platform for experimentation and demonstration of organic farming, cultivation and processing techniques for other local farmers in the San Marcos region.
Processed under the gaze of a stunning waterfall, this Natural Processed microlot is made up of 100% Caturra variety cherries, which are hand picked, sorted and then dried in specialised drying greenhouses on raised beds. All coffee at El Vergel is grown using Certified Organic farming methods, free from all chemicals and pesticides.
El Vergel boasts a dedicated commercial composting facilities - a “biofabrica” - and is the host location of a World Coffee Research variety trial assessing the viability of different coffee varieties to similar high altitude, volcanic environments.
| Producer |
JUAN FRANCISCO GONZALES |
| Processing |
EL VERGEL |
| Varieties |
100% CATURRA |
| Harvest |
DECEMBER 2024 |
| Altitude |
1,640 MASL |
| Region |
SAN MARCOS |
This recipe was developed on a La Marzoco Linea PB, using a Anfim SPII+ grinder. We encourage you to play around to meet your personal tastes and equipment setup.
Finca El Vergel was purchased by FECCEG - another forward-thinking initiative from General Manager and Founder Juan Francisco Gonzales - around 7 years ago from a doctor who owned the property as a hobby farm. Though the previous owner did have some coffee planted on the farm, the property was run down and left fairly wild upon Juan Francisco taking over.
Juan Francisco’s goal for El Vergel has always been to operate the farm as a model farm, nature reserve and education centre - essentially to show and tell both coffee producers and non-coffee tourists about the benefits of organic agriculture, conservation and biodiversity.
They approached El Vergel with an ecological conservation mindset first and foremost. The farm is blessed to have over a dozen species of both native and introduced species of orchid, as well as a broad range of native trees, legumes, flowers and ornamentals growing. Guatemala’s national bird, the Quetzal, as well as numerous species of Tucan all call El Vergel home.
