Rounton Coffee: El Salvador, Los Pirineos, Honey Process

Los Pirineos is located in Usulutan, El Salvador, and is owned by Gilberto Baraona. The farm has been in his family for three generations. Gilberto employs 50 full-time employees and 75 seasonal staff, each of whom are trained to Gilberto's strict standards, allowing this farm to produce coffees that are sought after by some of the world's top roasters.

Los Pirineos spans a range of altitudes from 1070-1800 MASL, and is situated on fertile volcanic soil, close in proximity to Volcan Santa Ana and Izalco. Los Pirineos was one of three farms that we visited in February 2018, taking a closer look at farming practices and educating ourselves about the processes that lead to this brilliant cup profile.

This Los Pirineos coffee undergoes an orange honey process, in which the peel of the coffee cherry is washed away, but the mucilage is left to ferment around the coffee seed. Ensuring that this process is controlled is delicate work, and the drying and timing of the honey process is overseen by Gilberto, to his exacting standards.