Shangrila Red Bourbon Washed x

Journey

1. Plantation

   Located on the west part of El Salvador, the Shangri-La farm is situated on the flanks of the most iconic volcano in the country: Izalco. This name in Nahuatl (a pre-Columbian language) translates to ´the place of black sands´ which appropriately describes the uninterrupted lava eruptions it had over the centuries. Due to its proximity to the coastline, the Spanish conquistadors baptized it as ´the Lighthouse of the Pacific´ as its orange fumes acted as beacons for every ship coming from the ocean. All these characteristics have made its surrounding areas fertile grounds to produce hard bean Arabica coffee. At an altitude of 1,459 metres, the Shangri-La farm has been yielding Red Bourbon and Geisha varieties for generations using only organic materials. Its buttery flavour, nuttiness, and smooth consistency along with a peculiar, sweet aftertaste makes a bright and vibrant cup for any occasion.

2. Harvest & Picking

   Harvesting period runs from mid-December until early March which is usually when the rainy season has ended. Shangri-La only uses local harvesters to help the local economy. The harvest is done entirely by hand usually by strip picking. This method consists of stripping all the ripe cherries off the branches into jute baskets to preserve its freshness. Selective picking is also used specially when many unripen beans are found. It relies on harvesters scanning the lines of trees and choosing each ripe bean directly from each branch. This process is repeated 3 to 4 times during the harvest for each cherry to be in its appropriate ripeness.

3. Drying & Milling

   After hand selecting only the best red cherries, the coffee beans are fully washed and then sun-dried on raised beds not far from the farm. Afterwards they are transported to a local mill where the green beans are hand selected for exportation by an experience team consisting entirely of women.

4. Journey & Roasting

   This coffee origin is slow roasted for 10 minutes. All roasting takes place in Naples, the mythical land of the espresso, where two vintage roasting machines from 1967 and 1969 are still used. A third generation master-roaster attentively oversees the whole process. After the roasting is finished, the beans are air-cooled (never with water) causing internal aromatic substances present in the coffee beans to condense. Caffè Barbera does not store or package the coffee beans immediately after cooling, but rather gives them time to mature in controlled temperatures, so as to balance the natural layers of oils and fats that form the rich aroma and flavour of coffee. Additionally, since 2022 the production of Barbera coffee is powered by 100% renewable solar energy.

Impacts

• Blockchain Traceability
• Factory Solar Power Adoption
• ISO 9001 Certificate
• Net‑Zero GHG Emissions by 2040
• new impact
• Nutri-score
• Solar Electricity Performancex