In El Salvador, producer Fernando Lima owns a number of farms, including Santa Elena, where this batch of Pacamara comes from. Located between Los Andes and Los Volcanes national parks, the farm is ideally situated to produce excellent quality coffee, at an altitude of 1850 metres. The soil here is volcanic, rich in nutrients and even more so since the Ilamatepec volcano erupted, dumping its ashes on the farm’s soil. Fernando has equipped himself with his own wetmill to supervise every stage of production, right up to the washing. This is carried out after 5 sorting passes, to ensure that only the best cherries are produced.
THE TERROIR ILAMATEPEC
The region Apaneca Ilamatepec It is believed that the first coffee trees were planted here in the mid-19th century. Ilamatepec is the largest coffee-growing region in El Salvador, with altitudes approaching 2,400 metres above sea level, and is renowned for the quality of its coffee. The most common varieties are Bourbon (64%) and Pacas (26%). This volcanic chain, known as the Apaneca mountain range, has numerous craters (Ataco, Apaneca, Juayua, etc.) and is one of the most active volcanoes in El Salvador: Ilamatepec, also known as Santa Ana. Most of the coffee in this region is grown under shade. This practice not only preserves the natural ecosystem, but also provides optimal growing conditions for the coffee plants. Many local producers have won international competitions.





