A Brief History of Finca El Socorro — Palencia, Guatemala.
Several decades of improving our coffee quality got us to five continents.
1880 – 1966
The land belonged to the Colom family since before 1880. Dr. Mario de la Cerda acquired it in 1966, when it was mostly forest — no roads, no crops. We started with a small herd of cattle and vegetables.
1980 – 1984
Coffee planting began in 1980; the processing mill was built in 1984. We paired traditional depulping and drying with solar energy, becoming one of the first self-sufficient coffee producers in the country.
1990 – 1999
Exporting began in 1990 as trade opened and demand for specialty coffee grew. In 1999 a five-year fixed-price contract for the entire harvest let us plan the farm’s expansion.
2007 — CUP OF EXCELLENCE
We entered the Cup of Excellence for the first time — and won first place. A surprise for everyone, in a region where fine coffee was previously unknown. A new chapter began.
2008 – TODAY
New varieties followed. Today more than twelve grow here — Gesha, Maracaturra, Java, Pacamara and Laurina among them — sold to over 25 clients across five continents.
THE FARM TODAY
El Socorro also produces milk, honey from bees pollinating the coffee blossoms, and flowers — while stewarding a 350-hectare forest reserve, the largest in the municipality of Palencia.