About This Coffee
The 42 member families of COPECAFE (Cooperativa Integral de Ahorro y Crédito Café) live and farm in Caserío Santa Eulalia, a small community in Quetzaltenango. COPECAFE members used to sell their coffee to intermediaries in Coatepque but, in 2014, they decided to work together to receive technical support to improve quality and increase their market access.
Their success has allowed members of COPECAFE to purchase additional land, especially as other people continue to move to cities or other areas in search of work.
Cultivation
COPECAFE members use certified organic and Rainforest Alliance practices. Their certifications help them garner price premiums.
Together, COPECAFE members have accessed financing and training to install irrigation tubing and build a school for children in the community.
In addition to cultivating coffee, members also grow bananas, mandarin oranges, corn and beans. Some also find work as daily laborers to supplement their income.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
COPECAFE members process their coffee on their own farms. After selectively handpicking, they pulp ripe, red cherry on a disc pulper and wet ferment coffee for 24 hours. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and laid on patios to sundry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 5 to 6 days for parchment to dry.
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.