About This Coffee
Juan Martinez’s ancestor, also named Juan Martinez, arrived in Xalapa, Mexico from Spain in the mid-1800s. Today, the Martinez family continues their tradition of stewarding the land in Coatepec in Veracruz and cultivating excellent specialty coffee.
Cultivation
In 2018, the Martinezes began renovating the farm with the intention of reinvigorating the natural fertility of the soil. They began using organic fertilizers and compost to nourish the soil and planting varieties with Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) resistance. This lot is composed of a CLR-resistant variety that’s the result of a cross between Villa Sarchi (a natural Bourbon hybrid) and Timor.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Coffee is selectively handpicked by laborers and processed on the farm. Cherry is pulped on an ecopulper and then placed in concrete tanks to ferment. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and dried in mechanical dryers for 70 hours. Parchment is rested on the farm for 60 days before being transported to the cooperative dry mill.
Coffee in Mexico
Mexico is one of the largest exporters of certified Organic and Fairtrade coffees. Smallholders with less than 10 hectares compose a full 70% of Mexico’s coffee producers. Since the 1990s, producers have largely been successful at forming cooperatives that sell certified coffees and help them gain market access to garner higher prices.