Instituto Salvadoreño del Café (ISC)
Sources: Instituto Salvadoreño del Café (website)
The Instituto Salvadoreño del Café (ISC) is El Salvador’s national authority for all coffee policy. It was created by Legislative Decree No. 835 on August 29, 2023, published in the Diario Oficial on September 8, 2023. The decree merged two prior institutions — the Consejo Salvadoreño del Café (CSC) and the old Instituto Salvadoreño del Café — into a single body.
The ISC is a public law entity with its own legal personality, attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Ramo de Agricultura y Ganadería).
Note: Earlier sources (including some wiki pages) referred to the “CSC” as the regulator. The CSC was dissolved in 2023. The ISC is now the single governing body.
Mandate
The ISC is the governing body for:
- Formulating and directing national coffee policy
- Orienting and promoting caficultura (coffee farming) for economic, educational, social, and environmental development
- Designing programs for producer participation, productivity, and development
- Executing and promoting scientific research, technology transfer, and innovation to increase productivity, quality, and climate resilience
- Managing the environmental services provided by the national coffee forest
Services
Export Authorization
All green coffee exports require ISC registration and permits. See Coffee Export Procedures for the full two-phase process under the 2024 Ley Especial.
Producer Registry (Registro Cafetalero)
All actors in the coffee chain — producers, processors, exporters, intermediaries, torrefactors — must be registered with the ISC (Arts. 15–21 of the Ley Especial de Comercialización, Registro y Protección de la Propiedad del Café). The ISC runs a Carnetización Móvil campaign to register producers in remote areas.
Quality Control Lab {#calidad}
Staffed by Q-Arabica Grader certified cuppers operating under SCA and CQI protocols. Services:
| Sample type | Fee (IVA included) |
|---|---|
| Parchment (pergamino) / cherry | $13.56/sample |
| Green (oro) | $10.17/sample |
| Roasted | $6.78/sample |
| Gourmet coffee certification | $40.00/sample |
Each analysis includes physical analysis, sensory analysis, and a written technical report. Turnaround: 72 hours. A quality sample is required as part of the export contract inscription process.
Contact: Jorge Escobar — jorge.escobar@isc.gob.sv / 7682-6925
Coffee School {#escuela}
The Escuela Especializada de Café de El Salvador was founded in July 2007. By 2024 it had trained 8,000+ people. It is a promoter of the national barista championship (since 2007) and internal coffee consumption.
Courses offered:
| Course | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Barismo I (espresso basics, history, regulations) | $65 | 12 h |
| Barismo II (filter methods, water, extraction) | $70 | 12 h |
| Arte Latte | $40 | 4 h |
| Métodos de Preparación | $30 | 4 h |
| Tostaduría I (roaster operation, variables, profiles) | $60 | 28 h |
| Tostaduría II (roast curves per processing method) | $60 | 28 h |
Denominaciones de Origen
The ISC administers El Salvador’s Denominación de Origen system for coffee, including five EU-recognized DOs. The DO for Apaneca-Ilamatepec is directly relevant to Kaiserblick.
VIVICAFE Project
Italian-Salvadoran bilateral cooperation funded by AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation). Supports small producers in Alotepec-Metapán and Cacahuatique with farm rehabilitation, wet processing modules, and national consumption promotion.
International Promotion
The ISC promotes Salvadoran coffee internationally under the Café de El Salvador brand (cafedeelsalvador.com). Regular presence at World of Coffee, London Coffee Festival, SCA Expo, and regional fairs. Markets: Europe (UK, Belgium), Latin America (Chile), Asia (South Korea), Middle East (Saudi Arabia), Australia.
The ISC maintains a Google My Map (“Café de El Salvador en el Mundo”) tracking cafés and roasters around the world stocking Salvadoran coffee. Notable roasters identified in the map include: Woodberry Coffee Roasters (Japan, multiple locations), Akito Coffee (Japan), Coffee County (Japan — Tokyo and Fukuoka), Volcano Coffee Works (UK), North Star Coffee Roasters (UK), Ozone Coffee (UK). (source: Café de El Salvador (website))
Taza de Excelencia
The ISC organizes El Salvador’s annual Cup of Excellence program. Cumulative figures through end 2022: 544 lots auctioned, 12,987 quintals, 659/quintal. See Taza de Excelencia.
Market Intelligence
- Notas de Café: daily market notes with ICE Futures prices and coffee news (downloadable at isc.gob.sv/notas-del-cafe/)
- Online prices: live ICE Futures feed at isc.gob.sv/precios-en-linea/
- ISC Calculator: unit conversion / price calculator tool
Contact
- Address: Final de la 1° Av. Nte y 13 Calle Pte., Distrito de Santa Tecla, municipio de La Libertad Sur, Departamento de La Libertad, El Salvador
- Phone: (+503) 2505-6600
- WhatsApp: (+503) 7572-2338
- Email: isc@isc.gob.sv
- Website: isc.gob.sv