El Salvador Coffee's Turbulent History: Fair Trade Impact and Black Honey Processing

The Turbulent History of Coffee in El Salvador

The turbulent history of coffee has left a profound mark on El Salvador's history, politics, and development. No other country in the region has been so heavily dependent on coffee, with the nation's fate rising and falling dramatically with the cycles of prosperity and depression brought by what Salvadorans call "el grano de oro" (the "golden bean"). However, the treatment of those whose fortunes rose during prosperous periods and endured through depressions—the elites, as well as the small farmers and laborers who were exploited almost constantly—was markedly different.

For many years, indigo had been El Salvador's most important export crop. In the 1880s, coffee surpassed indigo to become the primary export crop and was seen as a path to progress and development. In fact, coffee created immense wealth for the landlord elites and opportunities for those in power.

In 1881 and 1882, the so-called Liberal Reforms were enacted, dramatically changing the country's land tenure system. This led to the peasant class being forced to work in harsh coffee, sugar, and cotton plantations, depriving nearly half of El Salvador's population of their land, with few farmers having more property rights than workers.

In 1895, General Tomás Regalado won the presidency. This position allowed him and his family to plant 6,000 hectares of coffee trees across six different provinces, expanding coffee's dominance and building their own wealth in the following years.

In the 1920s and 1930s, coffee exports alone accounted for 90% of the country's total exports. However, the global economic depression of the 1930s pushed El Salvador to the brink. The combination of powerful control by the coffee plantation class and a desperate rural proletariat proved as unstable in the 1970s and 1980s as it had been fifty years earlier.

The coffee industry survived the Great Depression and even thrived. El Salvador became one of the most advanced coffee-producing countries by introducing modern technology in plantations and sophisticated systems in coffee processing. By the 1970s, El Salvador had become the world's fourth-largest coffee exporter, but neither the landed aristocracy nor the modernizing elite factions had any interest in addressing the poverty and chaos associated with the coffee trade. In the late 1980s, El Salvador's modernizing elite sectors hoped to expand their control over the economy and diversify their assets. In the 1990s, 78% of coffee farms and 40% of the total area were in the hands of small producers. Additionally, coffee trees occupied most of the forest land in the second-largest deforested country in the hemisphere, and coffee provided direct employment for 155,000 Salvadorans.

Fair Trade and Modern Coffee Culture

Despite the many challenges faced by coffee farmers today, those organized in fair trade cooperatives receive preferential prices, as well as technical assistance in coffee production, marketing, and export. Furthermore, as part of a global network of fair trade advocates and buyers, they can access development projects and other forms of support from governmental, non-governmental, and religious development agencies.

The first fair trade café, "Foto Café," opened in San Salvador. This café only sells coffee from two fair trade cooperatives: El Pinal and Las Colinas. Photographs on the walls and pamphlets on the tables help Salvadorans understand the plight of farmers and the importance of fair trade coffee. The café's owners hope they can begin to influence the purchasing decisions of local Salvadorans while taking advantage of the growing number of foreign tourists visiting the country.

Fair trade has transformed the lives of these farmers and others involved in coffee cooperatives. The more fair trade coffee sold in the country, the more opportunities other farmers have, and the greater the impact.

FrontStreet Coffee's El Salvador Coffee Selection

El Salvador has always been one of FrontStreet Coffee's favorite coffee-producing countries. Today, we'd like to introduce you to a coffee bean from El Salvador.

Country of Origin: El Salvador

Region: Apaneca-Llamatepec Mountain Range

Estate: Finca Lemos Bella Vista

Altitude: 1,250 meters

Variety: Bourbon

Processing Method: Black Honey Process

Grade: SHB (Strictly Hard Bean)

Harvest Season: 2020

FrontStreet Coffee uses a cinnamon roast level for this coffee bean. Thanks to the black honey processing method, this coffee exhibits remarkable sweetness and abundant aroma. Cupping notes reveal flavors of citrus, berries, grapes, and cocoa.

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