About This Coffee
Mauricio Rosales purchased La Maravilla Estate in 1996. When he first saw the farm, he exclaimed ¡Qué maravilla!" meaning “how wonderful!” and thus, La Maravilla Estate was born. Today, Mauricio and his son, Luis, cultivate Caturra, Bourbon, Pache and San Ramon varieties on their 24-hectare estate. The high altitudes of 1,645 to 1,800 meters above sea level provide the ideal conditions for cultivating dense, sweet cherry.
Operations at La Maravilla also help provide employment for locals in the nearby Los Arroyos village. The village has about 120 families and many of them are employed part or full time at La Maravilla Estate.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ripe, red cherry is harvested and processed at the on-site wet mill. Cherry is pulped and fermented in tile-lined tanks for 36 to 60 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid on patios and raised beds to dry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 7 to 14 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.