BiCafe Cosechando Esperanza Alotenango Natural

Cosechando Esperanza, in English “Harvest Hope”, is a smallholder producer program launched in 2021 by the Guatemalan coffee exporter, BiCafe. The program helps farmers around Antigua, one of Guatemala’s most famous and historic coffee growing regions, to implement sustainable farming methods and improved business practices in order to build resiliency and improve long-term profitability.

The Alotenango group brings together 23 producers – 19 men and 4 women – each farming plots of around 0.5 hectares. Participating members receive support in:

• Field Training: Growers learn better methods to care for the soil and plants;
• Better Resources: Farms receive upgraded equipment, such as safe storage units for farm inputs;
• Business Training: Participants learn annual budgeting and cost management; and
• Sustainable Growth: The project aims to protect nature while helping families earn a steady living.

The goal of improving quality and productivity for all members has the ultimate aim of keeping Antigua, where urbanization and climate change continue to threaten coffee production, profitable and viable as a coffee growing region, even for farmers with limited access to land. The Alotenango group has already seen measurable improvements in their harvesting methods and overall production volumes.

All plots within the Alotenango group sit between 1,200 and 1,600 meters above sea level, in the municipality of San Juan Alotenango, Sacatepéquez. The area's fields are continuously dusted with mineral-heavy sand and volcanic ash from the active Volcán de Fuego, creating nutrient-rich soils that farmers balance with organic matter to keep coffee trees thriving. The resulting ecosystem is considered one of the finest for Arabica production in Central America. The combination of high altitude, volcanic soils and the area's characteristic microclimate, with warm days between 20 and 26°C and cool nights between 10 and 18°C, slows cherry development significantly, building the sweetness and density that make this terroir so sought after.

Protecting and sustaining this unique terroir is a committed goal of Cosechando Esperanza, and land stewardship and sustainable farming practices is a large component of their training program. In their own words: “By developing skilled farmers, we help communities thrive, protect the land, and ensure that every harvest carries not only exceptional quality, but also opportunity and hope.”

Natural processing is relatively recent in Guatemala, where the washed method has historically dominated. BiCafe began producing naturals in the Alotenango area in 2023 after a client inquiry prompted them to explore the process. Small quantities of naturally processed coffee are now being produced across farms throughout the country, a sign that Guatemalan producers are open to explore methods beyond the traditional approach.

Cherry is selectively handpicked and transferred on the same day to BiCafe’s mill El Tesoro, a fully equipped processing facility with industrial drying infrastructure, where it undergoes a 24-hour fermentation in cement tanks. After fermentation, cherry is dried on raised beds for 18 to 22 days depending on weather conditions. When weather does not allow for full drying on the raised beds, coffee is finished in a mechanical dryer at a low temperature to ensure stable and consistent moisture levels.

Antigua has historically been Guatemala’s best-known coffee-growing region. The climate and land are perfect for coffee cultivation. The soil is volcanic with frequent eruptions from the nearby Volan Fuego adding a dust of mineral ash from time to time. Humidity is relatively low but constant. Finally, the region gets lots of sun year-round but has those cool nights that assist slow cherry development and are so important to specialty coffee. 

Antiguan growers can sometimes fetch high prices due to the fame of the region's coffee. Nonetheless, more and more farms have found it difficult to continue farming, particularly when land in the region is at a premium. Antigua lies not far from the capital city of Guatemala, making it particularly attractive for second homes or even for commuters. Many farms have diminished greatly in size over the last two decades or disappeared altogether, eaten away by golf courses and housing developments.  Nonetheless, Antigua persists and still produces exquisite coffees along with great blend components.