LA SENDA / PACHE

The inception of Finca la Senda, now run by Arnoldo Pérez Melendez and his wife Maria Eugenia Escobar, dates back to the forties, when Arnoldo’s father pioneered the plantation of coffee in the surroundings of the Aldea el Socorro in Acatenango. 

The Finca extends from the borders of the village up to mount Balàm, the hill of the Jaguar in native language. Coffee is planted at an altitude between 1’550 and 1’970 meters, while nature is taking its own course further up the mountainside, respecting the unique biosphere. Coffee is harvested on an extension of broadly 27 hectares.

Arnoldo spent his entire live with coffee, a beloved product that supported his family as well as many families in Aldea el Socorro, given that all of his employees are villagers. 

Over the last decades, Arnoldo’s focus was on farming, with the coffee being delivered to the local cooperative. This long-dated model took an unexpected turn in 2017, with the visit of a specialty coffee trader and a coffee consultant. Their blind-tasting of many of the coffees in the region pointed-out the potential of the Finca’s cherries. The subsequent discussion gave the ignition light that motivated Arnoldo and his wife Maria Eugenia to build their own wet mill, with constructions initiated in April 2017 and terminated in November of the same year.

While being a late starters in the field of Specialty Coffee, Arnoldo took advantage of his deep knowledge in the agricultural space, while Maria Eugenia leveraged her skills as a talented cook to learn and refine best practices in coffee fermentation and processing. Finca la Senda focused its efforts on consistent cherry selection, long and controlled fermentations as well as slow shadow-drying.

    •    Whole cherry (natural)
    •    Controlled anaerobic environment
    •    Inoculated with coffee must from a previously fermented lot using selected Champagne yeast
    •    The must acts as an active biological starter, providing viable yeasts, nutrients, and aromatic precursors

Drying:
    •    African beds under shade
    •    Slow and homogeneous drying
    •    Duration: >25 days

We use Swiss Post and delivery usually takes 1 to 3 working days. However, delivery times vary depending on the destination and chosen delivery method, so we cannot guarantee a specific delivery date. Once the payment is completed, we will schedule your order for the next roasting day. After roasting, we will ship your coffee.

Customers who purchase whole bean coffee should be aware that the product is non-refundable. It is also important for customers to cancel their purchase before the product is shipped if they wish to do so. Once the coffee has been shipped, cancellation is no longer possible. This policy is designed to ensure that customers receive the freshest coffee possible and that the company can continue to meet the high standards of quality that their customers expect.