El Salvador | Emilio Lopez Diaz | Las Isabella | SL28 Natural #8067

Are you looking to buy El Salvador | Emilio Lopez Diaz | Las Isabella | SL28 Natural #8067 in Australia?

SL varieties are unusual in Central America and we’re excited to have this SL28 lot from Emilio López and Jose Roberto Santamaría. They take the high-quality SL28 variety and give it the best care and attention from producers with generations of knowledge and passion for coffee production. The result is priceless.

This coffee is the product of the skill and knowledge from Emilio López and Jose Roberto Santamaría’s multigenerational coffee-producing families. They have a deep connection with their land and together, they joined forces to create Odyssey Coffees, an El Salvador and Portland-based coffee company.

Their production is located at 6 farms: Fincas Las Isabellas, Tapantogusto, Las Piedras, La Cumbre, El Manzano and Ayutepeque. ‍

When they merged their operations, Emilio and Jose worked together to ensure that they were using the same methods on all their farms and ensure that their quality is consistent and sustainable. They offer coffee to clients worldwide and have a strong recurring demand for their production. 

Emilio and Roberto acquired Finca Las Isabellas in 2007 and now focus on producing SL varieties, Pacamara, Pacas and Red Bourbon on the farm. They have an on-site wet mill, Tequendama mill, where they process their own cherry and those of neighboring farms.

In order to support the producing communities near Finca Tequendama and Finca Las Isabellas, they created their project “Growing Together” in April 2021. They offered workshops for suppliers to help them increase their productivity and quality. They also offer medical assistance and educational programs for youth.

Cultivation

Emilio came across SL varieties, which were developed by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya, in the 2010s when he tasted an SL34 variety grown by a friend of his. At the time, he didn’t know that the variety was SL34. He was so enamored with the taste of the SL variety that he asked his friend for some seeds and began his own nursery for cultivating SL varieties. After his first harvest of those trees, he sent some foliage to World Coffee Research for DNA testing and learned that the trees were SL34. Since then, he’s been expanding the number of SL variety trees on his farms and continuing to focus on producing high-quality coffees.

The farm is 245 hectares total. Much of that is planted with coffee but Roberto and Emilio have kept 87 hectares as a natural reserve for local species. The reserve also protects a local water source that runs through the farm.

Harvest & Post Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked and delivered to Tequendama Mill. Ripe, red cherry is washed and then transported to the patios. Cherry is laid on patios to dry and raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 12 to 14 days for cherry to dry.