El Salvador Miralvalle

"They are some of my favorite humans, ever…" was how a respected coffee colleague described Rene and Gustavo Urrutia to Colleen Anunu (Gimme's Director of Coffee), as she made her way to El Salvador to meet the fifth-generation coffee growers. Their estate, which is 14-hectare section of steep sloped land overlooking the valley of El Salvador, has produced award-winning coffee for the past 3 years. We knew the coffee was delicious, but it took a visit to their operation to find out just what wonderful people the Urrutias were.

Rene and Gustavo own three farms scattered across El Salvador and a dry mill in the small town of Atiquizaya. They employ over 600 people throughout the year, and demonstrate a special responsibility to their workers that isn’t too often found in a large-scale operation. They offer free bi-weekly medical clinics at each of their farms, which are open not only to their employees, but to other inhabitants of the regions. As Rene explained to me, “Neighbors of our employees would start showing up to the clinics. We knew it would be wrong to turn them away so we made it free for everyone who needs help.” The Urrutias also provide education and food to their employees, and their San Ernesto estate serves as a liberation sanctuary and refuge for endangered species that have been rescued from poachers or abandoned by their owners.

This year's coffee from Miralvalle is dense with a very slick body. You’ll notice from the first sip a grape-like (tartaric) and melon qualities, and will finish with low intensity pepper and sweetly herbaceous.

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Satellite Map of the Region

Explore the landscape and geography in the Apeneca-Ilamatepec region, El Salvador.

Origin Facts