About This Coffee
This coffee comes from smallholders who deliver cherry to the new wet mill owned by Federacion Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FECCEG). FECCEG is a second-tier cooperative composed of 12 base cooperatives operating in 6 departments across Guatemala. Founded in 2006 to find sustainable economic activities to improve members’ livelihoods. They began exporting independently in 2009.
Smallholders cultivate coffee at 900 to 1,800 meters above sea level on farms that are typically 1 to 3 hectares in size.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
This coffee is processed at FECCEG’s new wet mill, located in Quiche. Cherry is selectively handpicked by smallholders and delivered to the wet mill. At intake, cherry is floated and inspected to ensure only ripe, red cherry is processed. Cherry is laid to dry and raked frequently to ensure even 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.