The property started out in the early 2000s as an orchard farm, for various fruits by businessmen with close ties to the government. When the infrastructure project that would've facilitated transportations to Port Acajutla fell through, the property was split in three and purchased by our original owner; R.

R named the property valle de oro (valley of gold) because it's the name locals gave to the area. The name comes from a small creek that runs through the original property (but not our slice sadly) where gold can be prospected.

R decided to repurpose the land for coffee, and planted Bourbon and Pacamara varieties. R is a smart man, credited with industrializing the poultry industry here in El Salvador; naturally, he wanted to do the same thing for coffee. He hired J, a PHD level agronomist with forward looking plans and D as the property manager.

In the mid-2000s a coffee rust plague started creeping up from South America, and spreading through the South American isthmus, something needed to be done. A thorough research began into ways to combat the plague. Temperature changes due to global warming indicated that the plague was here to stay, so the decision to replant the property with a rust resistant variety was taken. This new plant would have to be developed for the properties altitude, rust resistant, and have exceptional cup profile. Marsellesa was chosen as the appropriate substitute.

Marsellesa is a sarchimor developed by ECOM-CIRAD in Nicaragua. R and J drove to Nicaragua and acquired the seeds directly from ECOM-CRIAD's company in Nicaragua NST. You can learn more about Marsellesa here.

A further selection process took place, keeping the plants that showed no rust signs and adapted better to the cooler and windier Salvadoran weather. The project was saved, and Valle de Oro weathered through the plague with flying colors.

Fast forward to 2016 and R was looking to finally retire for good. This is where M; our current owner comes in. M was helping his dad with our other two sister farms; San Antonio and La Pacaya, which were also managed by J.

We’re extremely thankful to R and his invaluable advice, legacy and trust in us to follow and advanced the project he started a decade and half ago. In valle de oro’s current era we’ve implemented technology to the production process, experimented with processing the coffee ourselves (albeit at a small scale at the moment), advance our social and environmental goals, and starting our journey to sell directly without depending on the local coffee cooperative.

This new stage is just starting, and we want to share with you everything we do. Please feel free to follow our blog or follow us on instagram.