In Photos: Montecarlos

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of returning to Apaneca, El Salvador to spend a few days with our dear friends Carlos and Julie Batres, proprietors of Montecarlos Estate and Foundational partners of Passenger since 2017. Late February is a traditional time that I try to visit Montecarlos, as the harvest is usually entering its final phase. This year’s visit was particularly enjoyable as I was joined by two colleagues (Passenger founder and CEO Crystal Weaver, and staff photographer Julianna Stallings) who were making their first trip to this truly spectacular coffee farm.

Since their introduction to Passenger’s menu, Montecarlos coffees - whether featured as the Foundational Montecarlos offering, as special selections on the Reserve and Education Lot menus, or as the base component of Stowaway - have been among the most universally enjoyed coffees that we roast. But, in addition to being the source of incredibly consistent and pleasing specialty coffees, Montecarlos is a deeply personal operation, and a testament to the skill and dedication of multiple generations of the Batres family.

While words and images inevitably fail to communicate the true grandeur of this farm (or as its owners put it: “a volcano turned into a coffee estate”), these beautiful photographs, taken by Julianna during our visit with Carlos and Julie last week, certainly convey the incredibly hard work that each coffee from Montecarlos represents, as well as the warmth and infectious passion of our generous hosts.