El Salvador promotes coffee at show

In Central America for instance, coffee is integral to the local culture as almost everybody has someone in his or her family who is involved in the coffee industry.

“Coffee is part of the local culture in El Salvador,” Francisco Ricardo Santana, ambassador of El Salvador, remarked yesterday, while attending this year's Coffee, Tea and Wine Fair.

“The production of coffee in El Salvador has been transferred from generations to generations. That is why the government of El Salvador supports the promotion of this coffee culture and related [savoir faire],” he added.

Without a doubt, coffee has fueled the Salvadorean economy and shaped its history for more than a century; the densely populated nation is one of the most efficient coffee producers of the Bourbon variety — the classic old-world coffee — and Pacamara — the full character, odd-ball type — in the world.

“Up to 90 percent of the coffee grown in El Salvador belongs to Bourbon variety, which is very famous for its acidity, aroma and sweetness,” pointed out Luis Rodrigo Giammattei Berganza, coordinator of El Salvadorian Coffee School.

“In recent years, producers have emphasized better quality control of their products, which has had a positive impact on the market,” he noted.

The coffee expert explained that over the last two years, coffee exports from El Salvador towards Taiwan have increased by nearly 800 percent. “I think Taiwanese are getting more and more demanding regarding the quality of the coffee they are drinking.”

“This is a very good opportunity to expand our trade relations with Taiwan as Taiwan public is demanding for good coffee,” continued Ambassador Santana.

In fact, El Salvador has always had the right ingredients — soil, altitude, climate — to produce the best brews in the region.

“It is important to note that coffee in El Salvador grows directly in the rainforest,” said Ana Elena Guadalupe Escalante Pineda, executive director of El Salvador Coffee Council, who especially came to Taiwan to join in the exhibition.

With its tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons, she remarked that El Salvador is one of the best locations in the world to grow the precious brew.

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