Rafael and Carmen da Silva Hoff & family - San Cayetano
Location: Ahuachapán, Santa Ana
Mill: San Pedro
Elevation: 1450 meters above sea level
Varietals: Red Caturra, Catimor, Yellow Caturra, Pacamara
Bought since: 2014
San Cayetano is located in extremely steep and windy conditions in Ahuachapán in the Santa Ana region. The couple Rafael and Carmen has a processing station, where they process coffee for surrounding farmers in the area. It is known for its strict and accurate working standards. The family is so professional to work with and are so hardworking and the friendliest people. They have full control from the farm throughout the process and export directly to us.
Sourcing green coffee, we meet a lot of producers and all of them are working very hard. But we have never met anyone who is working as focused and as many hours of the day as Rafael. He is in total running six farms and one mill.
Being very young, Rafael got introduced to coffee, and at the age of 21 Rafael got his first farm from his father. A few years later he met his wife Carmen. The couple got married in their young 30s and since then they are running the business together.
In 2010, they decided to invest in their own mill called San Pedro. Not to make a lot of money from it, but for having full control of the full process of the coffee. Here they process coffee from their own farms separated by day lots and varietals, and they also process coffee for other producers in the area. Their two sons, Rafael Gerardo and Rodrigo, and their daughter Valeria are now full time involved in the business.
Carmen and Rafael has won the El Salvador Cup of Excellence for their farm many times since 2005. And in 2017, San Cayetano won Silver in the Agenca Pour la Valoriastion des Produits Agirole.
In El Salvador, the biggest challenges is security for the people and the coffee fungus called leaf rust (roja). As in most places in El Salvador, the neighbouring farms to San Cayetano are suffering badly from leaf rust which can easily be transferred to the plants at San Cayetano by the wind. Rafael and Carmen have built more windbreakers to shield their plants and applying sulfate and fertilizers. Since a couple of years, a natural organic fertilizer made at the farm, have improved the yield even more. They are using rainwater they are collecting in two big reservoirs, which is enough for all their water needs.
The workers picking at San Cayetano during three months are local staff from Ahuachapán. They get a ride to and from town by the manager every day. At the mill, many of the workers are employed all year with full insurance. Carmen and Rafael are strict and to the details in how they want to coffee to be treated and they pay their staff above the national guidelines.
