About This Coffee
Edelfo Hidalgo Don Roger, owner of Finca la Bendicion, got an education and became a school teacher in the 1970s. He returned to teach in his community. Knowing he wanted to do more than teach, Don Roger saved his money. He soon purchased his first parcel of coffee land and thus, became a coffee grower.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
During the harvest season, cherry is selectively hand picked before being delivered to the farm's wet mills. Here it is pulped, fermented in tanks overnight and then washed in clean water. The parchment is then died on patios in the sun.
The farm produces approximately 500 quintals (1 quintal is approximately 46 kg) of high-quality parchment annually.
Coffee in Guatemala
Guatemala boasts a variety of growing regions and conditions that produce spectacular coffees. Today, the country is revered as a producer of some of the most flavorful and nuanced cups worldwide. We are proud to work with several exceptional in-country partners to bring these coffees to market.
The Guatemalan coffee industry experienced a major setback with the 2010 appearance of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Latin America. The epidemic peaked in severity in 2012, and though CLR continues to affect some farms, Guatemala continues to produce high-quality, record-breaking coffees. In 2017, new and varied processing methods pushed prices at the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence contest to record highs.
The quality of coffee being produced in Guatemala is increasing, overall, due to the diversity of the industry’s producers. There are more and more small holder farmers producing exceptional coffee at high altitudes. Cooperatives are becoming more appealing to so many smallholders because they often offer farmers financing and other support for improving their farming and processing and are frequently able to offer higher prices for cherry than middlemen. Many cooperatives have initiated quality improvement training for farmer members and are becoming more adept at helping members market their coffee as specialty.