Linda Gonzalez of Café Juayúa shares her ideas on El Salvador, her historical past, and what she desires individuals to find out about her household’s espresso.
BY EMILY JOY MENESES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Cowl photograph courtesy of Linda Gonzalez
As we speak we proceed our dialog with Linda Gonzalez of Los Angeles’ Café Juayúa, a espresso store and roastery devoted to highlighting espresso from her household’s farm in Juayúa, El Salvador. In half one, Linda shared her expertise of first getting concerned along with her household’s espresso farms and challenges they confronted as small growers. As we speak, she shares recommendation for espresso professionals within the diaspora and what she desires individuals to find out about espresso rising in El Salvador.
Barista Journal: I’ve seen plenty of protection of local weather change and the way it’s affecting Salvadoran espresso manufacturing. What climate-related challenges have you ever seen espresso farmers in El Salvador going through, and what are a number of the greatest methods you’ve discovered to deal with these difficulties?
Linda Gonzalez: We’ve been seeing that there’s rain when there often wasn’t rain, and it often comes in the course of the time after we’re attempting to dry the espresso cherries. And within the instances while you would count on average rain, there’s now plenty of rain. So we attempt to maintain the farms as biodiverse as doable.
We aren’t a type of farms that’s simply rising espresso bushes. Sadly, we see a few of these (farms), the place you see a slope and it’s simply espresso bushes—no massive bushes to offer protection, no different types of vegetation. Our bushes are shade-grown. I feel protecting this stuff in thoughts helps so as to add range to the soil.
There’s additionally plenty of totally different waste that comes with espresso processing, so we attempt to deliver it again to the farm as fertilizer, to essentially use that as a lot as doable. We perceive that the local weather is altering. We don’t wish to contribute to it (much more); we wish to work with it.
What recommendation do you have got for individuals within the diaspora—individuals like myself—who’ve household again residence in different nations rising crops, and wish to be related and concerned however aren’t positive but how?
I feel we noticed our means to be right here and there as this enormous privilege. You understand, I perceive the tradition and the language right here—I can converse to roasters; I do know what they’re on the lookout for, what they need. However I may return to El Salvador and inform them, “That is what individuals are taken with; that is the standard they need.“
And likewise, I can return (to L.A.) and share what’s occurring on the farms—I can inform their tales. I feel it’s nearly actually harvesting that connection and embracing each components of your self. You understand, I’m not simply from L.A., and I’m not simply culturally from El Salvador. I’m all this stuff, and I’m in a position to mix all of it and embrace that.
As a result of typically, I feel we wish to put ourselves in packing containers, like “Oh, I can solely take pleasure in this or be this,“ however there’s a lot profit to being each, to with the ability to transfer round in these two areas. And (I feel individuals) ought to notice that no matter tradition you deliver and tales you share, individuals are . That’s what brings an genuine side to the espresso. And it’s so fascinating to share your story and for individuals to be like, “Wow, that resonates with me“ or, “I’m taken with that.“
What’s one thing that you really want extra individuals to find out about Salvadoran espresso, or El Salvador on the whole?
I would like individuals to know that we actually have specialty espresso—it’s scrumptious. It’s premium. And the tradition in El Salvador is superbly various, and there’s a lot historical past—and as Café Juayúa, we’re so proud to deliver that ahead.
We typically suppose it’s humorous that we’re known as Café Juayúa, as a result of, in my head, I’ve been saying Juayúa since I used to be a child. However after we began to share the title with the opposite individuals, they have been somewhat confused about it—so we turned form of these ambassadors of Juayúa, this city. And I really like that individuals would come and go to and see it for themselves: see the individuals, see the farms … see we’re alongside the volcanic mountain ridge known as Apaneca-Ilamatepec, how we’re cradled by it. And (I would like individuals to see) what number of fingers are concerned, how a lot work goes into producing espresso. You understand, the individuals behind it, the historical past behind it—which is so wealthy and exquisite.
I feel it’s undoubtedly a transformative expertise while you go all the way down to the farm degree and see how a lot it takes to get espresso out. So I would like individuals to understand and have an open thoughts to study espresso—not solely from El Salvador, however from world wide.
To Study Extra
As we speak, yow will discover Linda and her family members sharing their household’s espresso at Café Juayúa, which is positioned at Cycle N Movement in El Sereno, Calif. It’s also possible to discover their espresso and merch, which options Linda’s very personal paintings, on Café Juayúa’s web site.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emily Pleasure Meneses (she/they) is a author and musician based mostly in Los Angeles. Her hobbies embrace foraging, cortados, classic synths, and connecting along with her Filipino roots by music, artwork, meals, and beverage.
Subscribe and Extra!
Out now: It’s the August + September 2024 challenge of Barista Journal! Learn it totally free with our digital version. And for greater than three years’ price of points, go to our digital version archives right here.
You’ll be able to order a tough copy of the journal by our on-line retailer right here, or begin a subscription for one yr or two.
