About Finca Rancho Grande

I grew up listening to my father’s and aunt’s stories on how my great-grandmother and my grandma had also grown up surrounded by coffee. I also heard stories on how they managed their own mills and coffee farms. Their legacy of perseverance and hard work is now part of four generations, all the way to my father, René Molina Urrutia, whom with his knowledge on coffee and his dedication for the farm managed to instill in me the seed of curiosity and love for coffee.

Innovation has always been part of our family, just as much as caring for the environment. With the help of my father, ten years ago we were able to install a green and compact mill that generates zero waste. This machine allows us to process coffee more efficiently and guarantee traceability. This cycle also protects the environment as part of the operation by using supplies correctly, ensuring quality every step of the way.

All of this could be accomplished thanks to new pulpers that have low water consumption, a Guardiola dryer, a threshing with a densimetric sorter, a coffee roaster, a mill and a sealer for the coffee bags to complete the whole process. Because this is such an extensive process, I first focused on learning how to use every single one of the machines involved. That way, I was able to measure times that allowed me to optimize the resources used. I also participated in training in the area of roasting and cupping so I could learn to process the waste that is generated in order to take advantage of it and generate by-products, as well as organic fertilizer based on Californian Red Worms. Worms digest the pulp and honey waters of the coffee to produce nutrient-rich fertilizers capable of restoring the soil. Likewise, solar panels and rainwater harvesting are also part of our self-sustainability project, allowing us to make the most of the resources that nature provides.

In this way, our compact, ecological and self-sufficient mill, with the characteristic of being a “zero waste” mill, receives each year the harvest from Finca Rancho Grande, which is located in Tepecoyo, La Libertad at 1100 masl and has 32 acres of extension, whose slopes give life to the Bourbon, Cuscatleco and Catimor varieties. The complicated access and the dirt streets collaborate so that when arriving at the farm the beauty of a water source is valued, trees of different species, among which the Bálsamo tree stands out, which surround every corner that the view can appreciate and the diversity of birds that accompany and cheer with their melody. All these factors allow Rancho Grande to have a captivating landscape that is unique in every way.

The sustainability of Finca Rancho Grande and our coffee mill remain strong thanks to a solid foundation consisting of the values of respect for the environment, teamwork, passion, perseverance and love for each process. Gratitude for coffee and for nature have created in me the tireless desire to continue learning and continue this family project that has become the reason for all our effort and dedication to grow towards the world of specialty coffees and thus to be able to exalt the name and quality of Salvadoran coffee and all that its land is capable of offering.