Apaneca is a municipality located in the department of Ahuachapán, El Salvador. It is widely recognized for its mountainous landscapes, temperate climate, and its importance within the Ruta de las Flores (Route of Flowers). Agriculture constitutes the economic backbone of Apaneca, with coffee cultivation being the most significant activity.
Coffee cultivation is a deeply rooted tradition in Apaneca, passed down through generations, and constitutes an essential part of the municipality's cultural identity. Coffee generates direct and indirect employment for a large part of the population, especially during the harvest season (the picking) between November and March. It also contributes to the development of small businesses (coffee shops, cooperatives, craft sales), which helps diversify the economy.
Los Naranjos Café was founded in 2015. Initially, all its production was outsourced until the construction of the Los Naranjos coffee mill in 2019. Since then, the company has been responsible for the entire process: from harvest to processing, and up to export.
The Los Angeles Farm is located a few minutes from the town of Apaneca. It has loamy, completely flat soil, which eliminates risks of Erosion or other associated losses. Furthermore, it contains a large quantity of organic matter, with ample Shade and ideal microclimates for the Pacamara coffee tree.
This Farm is herbicide-free. Pure REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE.
Firstable, selective harvesting is done on the farm to achieve the appropriate level of ripeness and achieve good fermentation. After manual selection, we take our coffee to the wet mill, where we classify or separate it by density. After we obtain the ideal beans for our process, the cherries are placed in fermentation tanks, water is added, and they are left to ferment for 40–50 hours, depending on how long it takes to reach the desired pH. Once fermentation is complete, we remove the coffee from the fermentation tanks, carry out our pulping process, and, once again, the freshly pulped coffee is returned to the fermentation tanks and left to ferment for 48–60 hours, until it reaches the required pH. Finally, the coffee is transferred to patios for two to four days to be pre-dried. It is then harvested and placed on raised beds to finish drying.