Gloria Imelda Portillo - El Salvador - Washed

Roast Level:

Recommended Brew Methods


Producer: Gloria Imelda Portillo

Farm Name: Los Guachipilines

Region: La Palma, Chalatenango, El Salvador

Varietal: Pacas, Catuai, Pacamara

Processing: Washed

Importer/Exporter: Caravela

Elevation: 1606 m.a.s.l.

Price Paid: €12,56/kg

FOB: USD $12.13/kg

Farm Gate: USD $8.38/kg

Tasting Notes: Wine gum, Hazelnut, Plum, Caramel, Panela, Chocolate, Dates, Dried Fruits, Candied Walnut.

This is our second year sourcing coffee from Gloria Imelda Portillo. We first discovered her exceptional coffee through Caravela last year, and it was such a hit - featured as our Christmas coffee - that we immediately secured a contract for this year’s harvest.

Caravela, a purpose-driven import/export company, is dedicated to transforming specialty coffee by empowering smallholder producers, fostering sustainable communities, and ensuring prosperity throughout the supply chain. Through fair contracts, investment in local labs, and education initiatives, Caravela provides long-term stability for both farmers and roasters. With operations across seven countries, they celebrate diversity in people, origins, and coffee profiles, while ensuring transparency, traceability, and fair value for producers. Their mission goes beyond coffee, placing people and the planet first—a commitment reflected in their achievement as the world’s first Carbon Neutral green coffee trading company.

Gloria’s farm, Finca Los Guachipilines, once covered in native guachipilín trees, has been lovingly transformed over the past 30 years into a thriving coffee farm. Working alongside her husband, Ricardo Adelmo Díaz, and her right-hand man, Don Jose, Gloria has overcome many challenges with resilience and determination. Since joining Caravela’s PECA program in 2016, she has refined her farm management, processing, and drying techniques, transitioning from inconsistent fermentation to carefully controlled 12–18 hour fermentations and meticulous drying on African-style raised beds. Her farm now cultivates Pacas (70%), Catuai (20%), and Pacamara (10%), each harvest reflecting her dedication and pride: “When I see the trees full of red cherries, I feel joy. It is the reward for all my sacrifices,” she shares.

When we cupped her coffee this year, we were struck again by its sweetness and juiciness, which deepens into a syrupy texture as it cools. With notes of plum, caramel, and hazelnut, it was an easy choice to make Gloria’s coffee our end-of-year holiday offering once again.