Meet Rolando Ramirez Moreno in Ataco

During our time in El Salvador back in 2016 we were really fortunate to meet Rolando a new producer for us and also for our importer Mercanta.  Coffee has been in his family for three generations and in 2005 Rolando decided to commit himself further into the coffee world by taking on new farms trading under the company name of Cayro.  

We spent the day with Rolando being driven around in Mitsubishi Sport Shogun I believe (sorry not that it enhances the coffee but it adds to the off road charm).  We started by visiting Montes Urales a coffee which we were roasting late last year.  

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Sourcing Coffee in Apaneca Ilamatepec - El Salvador.

Our day starts in Guatemala City as always on these trips at 5:30 am, a solid and classic breakfast of eggs, re-fried beans, black coffee and the nearest thing to yoghurt and muesli I can find! Kas is ready and waiting for our short three hour drive across the boarder to El Salvador. This is a common route for lots of coffee producers as they may have farms in both Guatemala and El Salvador. We were heading to El Carmen Estate where we would cup 2 tables of coffee take a short tour of the farms and stay for the night in the farm house. This was so very welcome as El Carmen is more of palace than your classic farm house.

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Sourcing Coffee in Coban, Guatemala.

Finca Santa Isabel is a farm in Guatemala and one which we have bought from for the past few years.

I first discovered this coffee about four years ago at a cupping with one of our suppliers, Mercanta based in London. On a table full of Kenyan samples sat this coffee from a producer from Guatemala it had all the characteristics of Kenyan coffee, fruity aromatics bold acidity and a rather winey flavour profile.  I chose the coffee as my favourite without knowing where it was from it just really stood out. We have bought this coffee every year since and I always get excited when summer comes and it arrives in the roastery.

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