About the producer

A few years ago during the Swiss Coffee Festival we met Rodrigo Samayoa and had the chance to try his delightful coffees. The coffee business of his family began four generations ago. Since then, each generation has worked with passion and dedication to offer an exceptional product. By sipping a cup of their coffee and savoring its distinct attributes, you’re guaranteed a fantastic start to your day!

About the farm

The coffee farms La Vega and La Bélgica are situated in the Tecapa-Chinameca mountain range in the Usulután state of El Salvador, Central America. The country has enjoyed international recognition for its coffee varieties for decades, as they are cultivated with volcanic soil and in a unique climate that contributes to their remarkable characteristics. The family employs a sustainable agroforestry system that includes over 100 native trees, several of which provide shade for the coffee trees and create a harmonious habitat for various species of birds and small mammals, in line with ecological agricultural practices.

The coffee farms are nestled among mountains and craters in the eastern part of El Salvador. This region is often referred to as the “lung” of the country due to its thriving forests, nurtured by the coffee cultivation culture dating back to 1865. As a family-run enterprise, they dedicate their efforts throughout the year to preparing the land where coffee trees thrive, utilizing only the best agricultural practices.

About the coffee

The coffee harvest begins between November and December and extends until February. Working with numerous experienced pickers, only the ripest, most mature cherries are selected and sent to the coffee mill. Depending on customer demands, they sort the coffee cherries for the fermentation and drying process. This involves storing them in large containers for several hours or days, allowing the anaerobic process (sometimes including the addition of fruits for a unique, delectable flavor) or, more often, transferring the coffee to fermentation water barrels to remove the pulp from the beans and wash them in an eco-friendly, compact coffee mill. This results in a thorough wash or honey process. Finally, the beans are left to dry under the sun on patios for at least a week.

About the beans

Pacas is a natural mutation of Bourbon,  similar to Caturra in Brazil and Villa Sarchi in Costa Rica. Similar to other widely cultivated Bourbon mutants, Pacas has a single-gene mutation that causes the plant to grow smaller. This is it’s chief virtue: the plant’s small size leads to higher potential yields and the possibility of placing plants closer together to increase total fruit production on a farm. The variety was discovered in 1949 on a farm owned by the Pacas family in the Santa Ana region of El Salvador. In 1960, the Salvadoran Institute for Coffee Research (ISIC) began a program of pedigree selection for Pacas. It is still widely grown in the country; it accounts for about 25 percent of the country’s coffee production.