In the highlands of Ahuachapán in Western El Salvador, the Las Colinas cooperative manages a 500-acre organic farm. The farm includes a natural spring that provides water to thousands of its neighbors. Caring for it is a responsibility that Las Colinas takes seriously.
The cooperative has fenced off the area to avoid contaminating the water source. It is replacing annual crops on the steep hillsides that rise out of the spring with shade coffee to replenish and protect the water source. And it has invested in recent years in a wastewater treatment system that eliminates all the contaminants from the wet milling process and preserves the quality of water for folks who live downstream.
The next time you visit El Salvador, visit Las Colinas for its 400 acres of Borbon and Pacas varietal organic coffee. But while you are there, don’t miss the source within the source.
Name: Las Colinas (Asociación Cooperativa de Las Colinas)
Established: 1980
Members: 89
Location: Tacuba, Ahuachapán
Elevation: 1000-1400 m
Volume: 1807 sacks (69 kg)
Certifications: organic, Fair Trade
Las Colinas coffee is exported by APECAFE and available in the United States exclusively through Equal Exchange.