On October 1, 2005, Finca Santa Elena owner Don Fernando Lima was gearing up for another coffee harvest when the Santa Ana Volcano erupted for the first time in 101 years, spewing ash and rock across his farm. Located a few hundred meters below the crater of the volcano, Finca Santa Elena was devastated. The farm lost more than 97 percent of its harvest that year, and it took five years for the farm to fully recover. Faced with an enormous challenge, Don Fernando realized that the devastation also brought an opportunity to regroup and make Finca Santa Elena a better coffee farm.
When Don Fernando replanted Santa Elena, he intentionally set aside a few parcels to cultivate Pacamara, a variety that is well known for its large bean size and success at national quality competitions. Pacamara is a cross between the Pacas and Maragogipe varieties. Pacas was discovered in 1949 on a farm in Santa Ana, not far from Finca Santa Elena. The variety is a natural dwarf mutation of the Bourbon variety, and its small stature allows farmers to plant trees closer together, increasing yield. Maragogipe is a mutation of the Typica variety known for its gigantic seeds and high cup quality. A hybrid of these two varieties, Pacamara offers more brightness and fruit quality than the typical Salvadoran profile and stands out as a gem of specialty coffee in the country.
