Sumo - Santa Petrona, El Salvador 250g

 Santa Petrona sits on the slopes of the Santa Ana volcano, also known as Ilamatepec, in western El Salvador. The farm belongs to the Pacas family, whose history in coffee stretches back generations.

Its story began with Petrona Palacios de Díaz, who purchased land on the volcano to establish a coffee farm. The property passed through the family, eventually reaching her grandson, Federico Pacas Díaz, who named his share Santa Petrona in honour of his mother and grandmother.

Federico continued developing the farm, planting shade trees and improving growing conditions. In 1999, he built Beneficio Tuxpal, giving the family greater control over how their coffee was processed. His son, Federico Pacas López, took over operations in 2012, with a focus on specialty coffee and developing international relationships.

Having their own mill has given the family room to experiment. Alongside their washed coffees, they have developed honey and natural lots, exploring how different processing methods bring out different characteristics from the same farm.

Our lot is a naturally processed Pacamara, a variety developed in El Salvador by crossing Pacas with Maragogipe. Recognisable by its large beans, Pacamara has become closely associated with Salvadoran specialty coffee and has a strong record in the country’s Cup of Excellence competitions.

For this lot, the coffee is dried inside the whole cherry before the dried fruit is removed during milling.