Roberto Ulloa is one of the most genuine, driven and passionate people we have come across on our coffee travels. He has hosted us at La Divina Providencia several times, making the early drive out of San Salvador to the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range in the west of El Salvador. The valley in which La Divina sits is mainly of volcanic origin, and is strikingly beautiful. Lago de Coatepeque, a natural lake formed in the crater of a former volcano, looms in the distance as the road climbs up to the farm, becoming rougher and less defined as it winds its way up the steep slopes of the Santa Ana volcano. Arriving in the deep forest cover of La Divina is calm and tranquil compared to the drama and noise of the journey, and allows a chance to survey and absorb the surroundings.

Roberto is a fifth generation coffee farmer; his family has been working with coffee since the late 19th century, when the Salvadoran industry boomed. His son, Bobby Jr., is also heavily involved, and Roberto works each day to pass on a sustainable business to him. Much of the family’s land lies at lower altitude, but Roberto made the decision to diversify over fifteen years ago, when he purchased the first of the plots that became La Divina Providencia. The land, high on the fertile volcanic slopes of Santa Ana, was initially planted in the late 19th century, by a colonial Spanish family. After El Salvador’s civil war, the lands were left abandoned by their original owners, becoming overgrown and uncontrolled. Years of work from Roberto have resulted in a beautifully lush coffee forest.