The story of Finca Himalaya begins in the 1870s, when Mauricio's great-great-grandfather cultivated coffee in Apaneca, during El Salvador's export boom. Located in Apaneca, Finca Himalaya is a 24-hectare farm belonging to the Salaverria family. Recognized as El Salvador's first specialty coffee farm, it benefits from an excellent terroir, with clay and volcanic soils that contribute to the production of high-quality coffees.
Today, Mauricio manages five farms, including Himalaya, as well as the El Divisadero project — his ideas laboratory, centered around a dry mill at Finca Villa Galicia, where he experiments with dozens of lots, varieties, and processes with each harvest.
Mauricio possesses a signature style instantly recognizable across his entire portfolio: tropical, very fruity, and expressive profiles, anchored by a sweetness that balances and supports the whole. He was among the first producers in El Salvador to sell farm-specific coffee, to work with the natural process on a large scale, and to develop fermentation techniques that have since become his trademark.
Belco has been working with Mauricio for over ten years — a relationship built on mutual trust, constant feedback, and a shared goal: to improve year after year. Among the highlights of this collaboration is 'Pineapple', a signature coffee for Belco, born from his fermentation techniques and which has become one of the most appreciated in our catalog.
More than ten years later, the relationship continues to evolve around shared values: consistency, continuous improvement, honest and long-term commercial relationships, genuine feedback, and common objectives. This approach also integrates agroforestry under shade and a sincere commitment to local communities, with 100 workers mobilized for each harvest, including 20 permanent staff.
