El Salvador | El Limo

Second-generation coffee producer, Jose Enrique Gutierrez is dedicated to producing high-quality coffees in a sustainable manner. His family produced coffee in the eastern region of El Salvador but left due to low coffee prices and a civil war in the 1980s. Nevertheless, coffee is Jose’s passion and, when he purchased his first farm in 2007, he did so with a speciality mindset.

Jose mixes traditional agronomic knowledge with his own ideas for more sustainable practices. The speciality industry provided a stable price that, with his quality production, enabled him to increase his land and purchase additional farms. Today, all of his farms, San Jose, El Limo, Las Brisas, El Horno and Los Cocos are focused on speciality production. As he purchased each new farm, Jose renovated the farms and installed integrated farming systems that focused on sustainable, high-quality production.

Finca El Limo, sits at 1,200 metres above sea level in the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. Cherries are handpicked at peak ripeness and delivered to the on-farm wet mill. At intake, workers visually hand sort to remove any damaged, underripe or overripe cherries. They are then placed in airtight bags and sealed to ferment for 68 to 72 hours. Bags are kept under shade to control fermentation. Following fermentation, cherry is transported to the El Carmen mill in Ataco to sun dry on raised beds. Workers at the mill turn the cherries to frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 30 to 32 days for cherry to dry.