Red Elephant

Finca Noruega is 43 Manzanas planted with a range of varieties from bourbon to gesha located in the
Ahuachapán mountain range in the west of El Salvador. This farm is part of the Los Naranjos group headed
by Sigfredo Corado a retired professor of Agronomy from the National School of Agriculture. The farm is
part of the Renacer Program (Reborn in Spanish) which is a technical coffee field school and educational
program for producers in the area to learn about better farm management practices. This program is
funded by Raices (Roots) and supported by Catholic Relief Services in El Salvador. The Technical field
school which is led by Sigfredo with 6 field technicians to help small to medium producers in the are by
focusing on best farm practises that are restorative for the land and soil as well as beneficial for the yield
and quality of the coffee. The field school is based at here at Finca Noruega where there is a class held
twice a month for the students. Throughout the year there are 3 modules and these look to focus on the 4
R's the program have developed for soil health. Right Source. Right Dose. Right Place. Right
Moment. This year they have 60 students and at Finca Noruega where the technical school is based the
students work the test plots where they can implement the knowledge gained in class before applying it to
their own farms. This lot is made up solely of maragogype that was picked selectively before being taken
to the wet mill and drying beds at Beneficio San Rafael located between the two hills of El Pilon and Cerro
Aguila at 1450 masl. The position between the two hills allows for the flow of the prevailing wind to help dry
the coffees slowly and evenly. Here the maragogype is washed and floated before then laid out on drying
beds for between 25 - 30 days where it is moved every hour until ready and dried between the hours of 0800
- 1430.