About This Coffee
Francisco Quezada Montenegro is the fourth generation of Montenegros to cultivate coffee at La Labor Estate. In recent years, Francisco has established La Labor Estate as an experimental processing training campus for producers across the world. La Labor hosted its first international Q processing course in 2020 and has continued offering educational courses ever since.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ripe, red cherry is selectively handpicked and delivered to La Labor Estate’s on-site wet mill. Cherry is laid on raised beds to dry. Cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying and infrared thermometers are used to ensure the cherry stays at the ideal temperature for drying.
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.