Branding and the power of brands are real. People become creatures of habit based on the brand messages presented to them – who doesn’t know Juan Valdez, after all? We see it in our business; certain origins are just harder to sell because they don’t sit at the “cool kids” table. El Salvador is one of those under-appreciated origins. They produce fine coffee, but it’s still hard to get customers to show them the love. That may be changing. I’m looking at the just-closed Cup of Excellence auction results for that origin, and I am astounded (and pleased!) to see the high prices paid at auction for green coffee from El Salvador. Over $20 a pound, green, for the top seller, and high single digits for many of the rest. While this means you may be paying more for specialty coffee, it assures the survival of the industry – these kinds of prices are a good thing for all of us in the long run.
If you want to try a great El Salvador, give our “El Jabali” a shot.
