Meeting with Emilio Lopez
We asked a few questions to producer Emilio Lopez, who runs the El Manzano farm in El Salvador.
Hello Emilio, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
My name is Emilio López Díaz and I work with Belco as a coffee supplier. We have several farms, including El Manzano, Ayutepeque and La Cumbre, all located in El Salvador.
Can you tell me a little more about these farms?
The three farms are located in the department of Santa Ana, in the municipality of Chalchuapa. La Cumbre is located at an altitude of 1,550 meters, El Manzano at between 1,300 and 1,550 meters, and Ayutepeque at around 1,100 meters.
And what varieties of coffee do you produce?
We produce a dozen varieties, planted in medium to large-sized plots. We have 3 types of bourbon: red, yellow and orange. We also have Pacas, Pacamara, Caturra, Geisha and SL34, a Kenyan variety, as well as a Brazilian variety called Acayá. The rest is rather experimental. We also have three different lines of Ethiopian varieties, called Heirloom.
What's your relationship with Belco?
Initially, Salvadoran coffees were more of a curiosity for Belco. We started with around twenty bags in the first year. Then a hundred, then a container and finally, in the fourth year, 3 containers. Since then, quantities have gradually increased. Belco is a very important partner for us!
How does it feel to know that your coffee is sold in France and Europe?
It's always a great source of pride, and it's still the same feeling I had for the first time, drinking one of my coffees in San Francisco. Our aim is to promote our products beyond our borders. What's great about France is your relationship with wine. It's easier for a French person to understand what it's like to be a coffee grower, because they can make the connection with the winemaking profession. I feel a great deal of respect for producers on the part of the French.
I imagine it's a source of pride to represent Salvadoran cafés around the world?
In El Salvador, we have products, a land and a culture like no other. The quality and consistency of the coffees we produce are remarkable. I think El Salvador is one of the top 5 or 6 coffee-producing countries, along with Ethiopia, Kenya, Panama, Guatemala and Colombia.
El Salvador's coffees can present a great diversity of profiles, thanks to the country's different climates and terroirs. We have one thing that many people envy us: on the same mountain range, from Apaneca to Las Cruzes to Santa Ana, the diversity of profiles seems infinite.
Delivering consistent quality is very important to Belco. What about you?
I can produce 10 bags of the best coffee, but it's no use if I can't do it the following year. It's not enough to meet customers' needs at a given moment, you also have to have a plan B! It's very important for us to meet needs in terms of quality, volume, transparency... many things, in addition to quality, which of course remains the basis. Reproducing quality and improving every year is the key!