About This Coffee
The Portillo family has been farming coffee in San Miguel, El Salvador for 3 generations. Currently, the 4 Portillo sisters operate Finca Omoma with a focus on sustainability. They take their responsibility to protect the environment seriously, especially because the farm is the source of the springs that feed the town of Ciudad Barrios.
Cultivation
Coffee is shade grown under pine and native trees. Shade trees lower temperatures and direct sunlight, helping cherry concentrate sugar and improve flavor.
The Portillo sisters reuse coffee pulp as an organic fertilizer to nourish coffee trees. They also use fungi and bacteria that are harmful to coffee diseases to manage diseases like Coffee Leaf Rust.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Laborers selectively handpick ripe, red cherry and process it on the farm. At the on-site mill, cherry is floated to remove any underripes. Cherry is pulped and fermented in ceramic-lined tanks for 36 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid on clay patios to sundry. Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 10 to 12 days for parchment to dry.
Coffee in El Salvador
Don’t be fooled by El Salvador’s small size. It was once the 4th largest coffee producer worldwide and continues to produce high quality lots. The country is known for its great cupping varieties, such as Bourbon and Pacamara. In fact, two beloved, frequently high-scoring varieties—Pacas and Pacamara— originated in El Salvador.
Unlike other countries, where specialty coffee production has required a great deal of additional investment and training, El Salvador already has a broad and skilled specialty coffee workforce. Farming traditions run deep, and many Salvadorian farmers are extremely passionate about coffee production and continuously strive to improve their crop. El Salvador has optimal conditions for coffee processing. The prolonged dry season typically occurs during the harvest season, making it easier to sun dry coffee.
Though coffee output in the country has been declining for over two decades – exacerbated by the CLR crisis – the approach to coffee production has changed from volume- to quality-driven. A new generation of coffee producers has sprouted around the country with a new vision and approach to production. Many of this generation are experimenting with processing and varietals.