One of our favorite topics...COFFEE

Unfortunately, we were not able to pick coffee with the community this week, but I will still discuss with you the coffee industry in El Salvador. El Salvador has had a long history with cash crops, like indigo and cotton. Now, coffee is the most important cash crop here in El Salvador.

A little about the process: first the coffee 'cherries' are picked from coffee bushes (not trees). They are red and round. Then, they are either dried in the sun or smashed through a water press. The latter is more efficient if the equipment is available. This removes the fruit from the outside of the cherry, exposing the coffee beans (which are actually seeds). They are greenish-tan at this point. They will then travel to a roaster. Taste and darkness are dependent on the roasting process, although coffee beans from different regions have different flavor profiles.

This work is labor intensive, and the reward is unpredictable since the price of coffee is at the mercy of the global coffee commodities trade. Even though this area is fertile because of volcanic soil, coffee farmers in El Salvador are now struggling with the threat of desertification of the soil. Organic farm certification does a great deal to preserve the health of the environment in which coffee is grown; this also makes the work of the coffee farmers and coffee pickers more healthy because they are exposed to less dangerous chemicals. Seeing this has made me realize it is important to know where your coffee products are coming from. Truly, we vote with our dollar as well as our voice. Su vota es su voz. Su dolar es su vota.