Alvarez Diaz

This lot comes from the Alvarez family, who have been growing coffee in El Salvador for over 100 years. This coffee comes from lots of neighbouring award-winning farms La Reforma and Santa Maria. The Alvarez Diaz brothers are the fourth generation to manage these farms, established in 1892. Both are planted exclusively with Red Bourbon coffee trees - despite the challenges of coffee leaf rust, to which this variety is susceptible. The trees are cultivated under native shade, helping conserve soil and provide habitat for birds and a strict pruning schedule maintains tree health and improves resistance to disease.

PROCESSING

Coffee from the neighboring farms is brought to the El Borbollon mill, where it is pulped without water and fermented for 16-20 hours. The coffee is then washed to remove all mucilage. The parchment is moved to the mill’s clay patios, where it is slowly sun-dried over 9-10 days and turned by hand. Clay patios are used opposed to common concrete ones as clay is endothermic (absorbs heat), and thus effective at regulating temperature.

TRACEABILITY

Sourced through Mercanta, founded in 1996, a specialty coffee importer supplying roasters worldwide. Mercanta maintains a close relationship with the Alvarez family, who continue to champion specialty coffee in El Salvador despite challenges such as coffee leaf rust and limited government support. The Alvarez family also supports local communities and has recently focused on tackling child malnutrition in rural areas.

Price Paid for Green Coffee (ex. shipping): £11.00/kg
Amount Purchased: 138kg
Harvest: December 2024 - March 2025