Lot 23: Las Duanas Enrique  Mena Gutierrez

Finca Las Duanas is located in the Alotepec-Metapán mountain range in El Salvador, a mountain range close to the sky where clouds graze and birds celebrate the virtues of the land that nourishes them. Located at an elevation of 1,910 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Miramundo and El Pital (the highest points in El Salvador), the farm is surrounded by picturesque landscapes, full of flowers and pine trees, and with beautiful views of the towns of San Ignacio and La Palma in Chalatenango. Reaching Finca Las Duanas is a memorable adventure, crossing trails, springs, and beautiful waterfalls.
The property where the farm is located belonged to Ignacio Mena, who was a farmer and rancher. Initially, the land was used for other crops. However, the family decided to commit exclusively to coffee farming as a way to care for the region's coffee forest, protect biodiversity, and maintain the ecosystem. This passion for caring for the environment has been passed on to all members of the Finca Las Duanas team, and now the farm and its surroundings are home to many animals, such as endangered deer, snakes, squirrels, and cusucos. For the Mena Posada family, adopting eco-friendly practices is very important to avoid air pollution and keep the water clean.
For the Mena Posada family, their journey as coffee producers has not been easy.
Although their father, Enrique Mena Gutiérrez, became a leader and motivator for the family to work in coffee, at first, they were not entirely convinced. They perceived many obstacles; they thought the farm was too far from their home, access was not easy—there was no road and they had to ride a horse to get to the farm—and no one in the family had much experience growing coffee. In addition, investments were required to ensure their coffee harvests were of high quality.
Now, the work at Finca Las Duanas is divided between the family and their collaborators.
Father Enrique is the owner and manager; Her son coordinates the workers' work and handles logistics and equipment management, while Kriscia and her mother work in administration. Jorge Rivera, Kriscia Mena's husband, is in charge of quality control and all process logistics. They all help with the coffee processing at home. They do this work with great enthusiasm and are constantly learning, as they recognize there is still much to learn about the industry.
Finca Las Duanas has had the assistance of experts from its planning, selection of coffee varieties, planting, harvesting, washing, drying, and packaging processes, as they maintain a strong commitment to the quality of their coffees. In this way, by making their way in the industry, they have broken new ground and inspire other coffee growers to adopt environmentally responsible practices and focus on quality.
Since its first production, Finca Las Duanas has won awards for the quality of its coffee at the Trifinio Coffee Table competition held in Copan Ruinas, Honduras (2018, first place), and in El Salvador (2019, first place). Its coffee has also been presented at the National Barista and Methods Championship in El Salvador (2020).
This and more commits us and motivates us to continue innovating and improving.
Finca Las Duanas, despite being a small farm, is a place with big dreams.
The family's long-term plans are to open a café-restaurant to sell their own coffees and educate consumers to appreciate the high quality of Salvadoran coffee; to constantly innovate to maintain the production of presidential specialty coffee and elevate our country, El Salvador; to train to export their product; and to support local coffee growers with their coffee production.
As Finca Las Duanas, we are confident that hard work and adopting innovative practices will continue to position Salvadoran specialty coffee.