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Specialty coffee from El Salvador has established a strong presence in Austria and other European markets thanks to salvadoran entrepreneur Eduardo Hernández, founder of Santa Cristina GmbH, a Vienna-based company dedicated to importing and selling Salvadoran coffee through a direct trade model.
According to data provided by the salvadoran Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the project began over ten years ago with the goal of bringing high-quality coffee to one of the world’s most demanding markets, prioritizing traceability, sustainability, and cup excellence.
A project with family roots
The heart of the initiative is Finca Santa Cristina, located on the slopes of the San Salvador volcano. This is complemented by the Santa Lucía and San Francisco farms, situated on the Santa Ana volcano. These properties cultivate high-altitude coffees, processed using washed, honey, natural, and anaerobic methods, allowing them to achieve complex profiles and high scores in international specialty coffee standards.
In addition to quality, the project incorporates environmental conservation practices, forest protection, and responsible management in the face of climate change challenges.
Presence in a demanding market
Vienna is recognized as one of the world’s coffee capitals, with a centuries-old tradition combined with a modern specialty coffee scene. In this environment, salvadoran coffee has carved out a niche for itself in high-end roasters and coffee shops.
Among the companies that have worked with or marketed coffee imported by Santa Cristina are Kaffeelix, the 2019 World Roasting Champion; GOTA Coffee Experts, recognized as the best coffee shop in the European Union in 2025; as well as Coffee Pirates, Julius Meinl, Small Batch, Goldkind, and Röstwerkstatt, among other leading players in the sector.
Since 2018, six Austrian roasters have visited El Salvador to learn firsthand about the farms and production processes, strengthening the direct trade model and the relationship of trust with the producers.
Expansion in Europe
According to information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Santa Cristina has distributed hundreds of tons of fine green coffee to more than forty roasteries and specialty coffee shops. Its commercial network also reaches Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, in addition to operations with markets such as China, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Slovenia, and Poland.
In 2024, to commemorate its tenth anniversary in Austria, the company contributed approximately 13,000 samples of Salvadoran coffee to the Spring 2025 edition of Standart Magazine, an international publication specializing in coffee. This initiative allowed thousands of readers and professionals to discover high-quality salvadoran coffee profiles.
Diplomatic support and country projection
As part of economic promotion efforts, the salvadoran ambassador to Austria, Kennedy Obed Reyes Lazo, met with a businessman at the diplomatic mission to exchange views on promoting coffee as a national product and a tool for economic diplomacy.
The diplomat emphasized that the presence of salvadoran coffee in Vienna demonstrates the country’s potential to compete internationally on quality and reaffirmed the diplomatic mission’s support for initiatives that strengthen its position in Austria and Central Europe.
As part of these efforts, the Embassy will support promotional activities, tastings, and cupping events throughout the year in coordination with salvadoran businesspeople and local partners, with the goal of further expanding the presence of salvadoran specialty coffee in strategic markets.
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