Concepción

A washed Pacamara from Vanessa Braun Valle with floral notes, stone fruit, melon and an intense finish.

Finca Concepción dates back to 1890, when it was primarily a cattle farm with a small area planted with coffee. The farm takes its name from the Catholic feast of the Virgin of the Kings, celebrated on 8 December in honour of the conception of the Virgin Mary. More than a century ago, Vanessa Braun Valle’s ancestors purchased the farm from a Spanish family who had settled in Mataquescuintla to focus on coffee and cattle production. Since then, the Braun Valle family has expanded coffee production fivefold, continually renewing the farm’s plant material. Some of the original Bourbon trees from the earliest plantings still stand today.

Located at 1770 masl in Jalapa, the farm has loamy clay soils, temperatures of 16–28°C and around 2000 mm of annual rainfall. Cuje, Gravilea and Mundani trees provide shade for the coffee plants, and the family adjusts the shade throughout the year to suit the climate.

The annual cycle begins in April with pruning, soil treatment and fertilisation, followed by four to six foliar applications throughout the year. The family avoids herbicides wherever possible and hand-picks ripe cherries at harvest. While the farm has access to natural spring water, it uses recirculated water from depulping onwards to minimise the risk of contamination.