About This Coffee
At over 110 years old, Finca Moca Grande is one of the oldest estates that belonged to an English family in Guatamala. Today, the farm is owned by Jorge Samayao and represented by Agropecuaria La Laguna SA. Jorge invests his whole heart into making sure that Finca Moca Grande continues to flourish. He converted over 420 hectares of coffee land to forest preserve in order to protect the soil and improve diversity on the farm. Today, about 282 hectares are planted with coffee.
Cultivation
Finca Moca Grande is located near Volcan Atitlan, a volcano on the shores of Lake Atitlan. The volcano’s eruptions have deposited nutrient-rich volcanic soil on the farm and across the region. The fresh waters from Lake Atitlan provide ample water for growing plants and clean water for processing coffee.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ripe, red cherry is selectively harvested by hired laborers and then processed on the farm. Cherry is pulped and fermented in water for 8 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and then dried. Parchment is dried in solar driers or in a vertical mechanical dryer for 12 hours and then in finished is a Guardiola mechanical dryer for a further 36 to 44 hours.
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.