About This Coffee
Finca El Platanillo was purchased in 1977 by Samuel Coto Escobar. In 1985, Samuel’s youngest some, Stuardo Coto, took over management of the farm. Stuardo is focused on ecological production that supports both coffee quality and community.
This plot at Finca El Platanillo is called El Mirador, which translates to “the watchtower” in English, because, from this plot, you can see the entire farm below it.
Stuardo first opened a grade school on the farm in 1978. In 2002, they opened the Nuevo Platanillo school on land donated by the farm. The school serves children of farm employees and in neighboring communities. In addition to the usual school programs, they also have a fully connected computer lab.
Another educational project at Finca El Platanillo is the coffee education program with Funcafe (Anacafe’s social arm). Students can come to learn about cultivating coffee and running their own coffee farms. They have access to training plots and to coffee professionals who they can learn from. The program was awarded the 2017 SCA Sustainability Award.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
El Platanillo’s quality control arm is run by Samuel Coto, Stuardo’s son. He evaluates the data from processing to determine the best combination of varieties and processing methods to produce high-quality coffees with a smaller environmental footprint. A Geisha Natural lot from Finca El Platanillo placed 10th in Guatemala’s 2020 Cup of Excellence competition.
Workers handpick ripe, red cherry and deliver it to the washing station at Finca El Platanillo. In order to ensure that cherry is picked at peak ripeness, the quality control team studied each variety planted on the farm and determined the optimal Brix level for each. This is communicated with workers to ensure that the best cherry is picked.
At the washing station, cherry is visually hand sorted to ensure that only ripe cherry is processed. Cherry is laid on raised beds to dry. During the first 3 days, cherry is raked every 20 minutes. For days 4 to 7, cherry is raked every 30 minutes and after day 8, every hour. This frequent raking ensures even drying. It takes 30 to 35 days for cherry to dry fully.
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.