Balam

The story of Firebat begins at a children's preschool Christmas show in El Salvador in 2013, where founders Rodrigo, Gustavo, and Leena first met. Gustavo and Leena moved to Canada in 2016, opening the roastery in early 2017, while Rodrigo remains in El Salvador managing farm operations and sourcing. The team owns Balam, a four hectare farm in the Chalatenango region purchased in 2015, which serves as a coffee farming lab for experimenting with exotic varieties and processing methods, with multiple Cup of Excellence winner Ignacio Gutierrez handling the processing. The name carries meaning on both sides: "Fire" for the volcanic soil of El Salvador and "Bat" as a symbol of change in Mayan mythology. They focus exclusively on El Salvador for direct trade, shade grown coffee from volcanic soil regions, roasting in small batches to highlight each bean's potential and preserve the quality achieved at the farming stage. Varieties include Gesha Honey, SL 28 Washed, Bourbon Washed, and Caturra Pacas Honey, all roasted the same week they ship.