Looking for a farm with a history lesson? Let’s take you back to the year 1832. This property
was purchased by Francisco Alburez from the previous owners and named it Finca la Merced,
meaning ‘mercy’ in respect to the previous religious owners. Francisco passed the land on to
his daughter Maria Alburez de Ortega. A hard-working woman, she married Manuel Ortega y
Carrascal and they harvested corn and black beans on the farm. Years later, the farm was then
passed on to their son, Carlos Ortega Alburez, who managed it from the age of 16 and from
the start he looked for ideas to improve the work. So, in 1912, he planted the first coffee trees
on Finca La Merced.
Leaping forwards, tragedy struck with the earthquake in 1976, where the municipality of San
Marin Jilotepeque lost communication to the outside world due to landslides, and the main
house and the community church that stood on Finca La Merced fell. A few years later in
1981, Carlos and his wife, Balbina, had to abandon the farm due to civil conflicts. Following
the resolution of the civil war, in 1996, the fourth generation of the Alburez family returned to
the farm.
This family heritage has passed through generations and the children and grandchildren
of Carlos and Balbina are dedicated to keeping the tradition alive. Perhaps the town-wide
celebration of Saint Isidore the Farmer each year on May 15th at Finca Merced helps contribute
to the fruitful harvests and generational dedication we see here on this small land of Finca La
Merced. The farm, today, is planted with bourbon, pache and typica varietals, with inga and
gravillea as shade trees. Historically, La Merced has featured regularly in the COE Guatemala
awards: 2022 12th place, 2006 2nd place, 2007 18th place, 2010 13th place, and a 4th
placement in the 2004 Exceptional Cup.

Process: Natural