Overview

After being many years an employee of a very well-known coffee farmer and miller in Usulután, José Armando Zepeda became captivated with the cultivation of coffee and in 1978 made the decision to buy a 28 hectares piece of land on the top of the Tecapa mountain in Usulután. During the civil war, the area was difficult to access and Zepeda gave his farm the name El Optimismo or "Optimism," looking to baptize his project with a sense of positivism and hope.

Although he achieved the dream of owning his own farm, the civil conflict of the 1980's affected the continuity of his work and made it nearly impossible to visit the property due to unrest in the area. In the 1990's, Don Jose Armando passed the farm on to his wife, Lucia. Less than ten years ago the Zepeda family, under the leadership of Patricia, the eldest daughter of the four children of Jose Armando and Socorro, decided to revive the semi-abandoned property replanting a 16.1 hectare area.

Having a strong commitment to quality, the family decided to participate again in the Cup of Excellence. They selected an area grown to Bourbon called "the house plan". They personally trained pickers in the process of harvesting in order to assure that each cherry would be picked at its peak ripeness. The plot gave its second consecutive award, since last year El Optimismo ranked in 12th place in the Cup of Excellence event.

Patricia Zepeda embodies the name of the farm in all that she does. After all of her hard work and her meticulous eye for quality she was sure that “El Optimismo” would be one of the winners of the Cup of Excellence. The system implemented in the harvest phase has become a permanent fixture; it is representative of an unwavering commitment to quality. Patricia feels incredibly proud of the success and credits her parents for all of their contributions. She is very thankful with all national and international juries for having chosen her coffee; moreover, she thanks her workers since this award would be impossible without their hard work.

Although they may have won the Cup of Excellence, the Zepeda family will continually seek for ways to improve their coffee, so they receive technical assistance from Unex S.A. de C.V. which is the miller that process their coffee. They elaborate an annual plan, support its implementation and give periodic follow up. These jobs also mean benefits not only to the farm but to the workers and the surrounding area. The Zepeda’s are committed with their workers, they have running water and bathrooms as well as living quarters for its employees. The will bring doctors for children and adults when school time begins, including medicine and preventive vaccination.

The future holds many things but the Zepeda family would like to increase productivity and continue producing great coffees with dedication and passion. They have a dream that one day the farm will become an ecotourism hot spot.

Additional information
Location: canton San Juan, Alegría
Coffee varieties: Bourbón & Pacas
Type of Shade: Pepeto, Pine, Guachipilín, avocado, chaperno, cedar and other native trees
Average Annual Rainfall: 1,700 mm
Average Temperature: 19º C
Type of Soil: Sandy clayish loam
Annual Production: (60kg) 230 bags
Mill and company where lot was process: Beneficio Oromontique, Unex S.A. de C.V.
Other area: 1.9 ha, natural forest Fauna: Deer, Armadillo, Central American Agouti, wildcats, clay colored robin, emerald toucan, fox, hawk, raccoon, etc.

GPS Coordinates
Latitude: 13º 29’ 44.6’’ N
Longitude: 88º 30’ 19.9’’ W