Lucia Ortiz (Las Mercedes)

Description

In honor of Women's Health and History Month, PT's will be donating $2 per bag sold of coffees from women producers to Grounds for Health. These coffees also include Red de Miramar Washed and Maria Estela La Perla Washed.

We typically feature washed and honey coffees from Las Mercedes, so this natural-process lot is a treat! Aromas of black cherry and hazelnut creme greet you, followed by notes of milk chocolate and pecan in the cup. The silky body features red grape acidity and a lingering clove note in the finish.

Details

Producer: Finca Las Mercedes
Farm: La Primavera
Region: Usulután Department
Altitude: 1,500-1,650 masl
Varietal: SL28
Process: Natural
Roast: Light
Notes: Milk Chocolate, Red Grape, Pecan

The Story

Cherries are only selected when they have achieved peak ripeness. Freshly harvested cherries are sent immediately to Las Mercedes' on-site wet mill, where they are placed in a fermentation ditch that is then filled with water to screen for floaters.

After floaters are removed and the cherries are rinsed, they are moved to patios for about a week and then placed on raised beds to dry until the moisture level is between 11.5% and 12%.

Direct Trade

We have been proud to partner with Finca Las Mercedes since 2006, when their El Pepinal lot took first place in El Salvador Cup of Excellence. The farm currently has more than a dozen varieties in production.

The farm has thrived under the leadership of Lucia Ortiz, whose family has owned the farm for five generations. Their community involvement is commendable, from funding and supplying a local school; to operating a medical clinic that offers free check-ups, vaccination campaigns, dental care, and first aid training; to improving clean water access in surrounding areas.

Grounds for Health

Grounds for Health has provided women’s health programs in coffee communities since 1996. These programs include innovative HPV screenings and life-saving treatment of preventable diseases, such as cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is a nearly 100% preventable disease — yet in the next 15 years, it could kill almost 4.5 million women, many of whom live in low-income countries where coffee is grown.

They have kept women healthy in Central and South America, and their current programs are in Ethiopia and Kenya.

You can learn more at their website: groundsforhealth.org.

Text from PT's Coffee's listing.