About This Coffee
Smallholders in San Jose Poaquil in Chimaltenango cultivate Catuai, Caturra and Bourbon on small farms that are under 5 hectares on average. Their farms are located at high altitudes of 1,800 to 2,000 meters above sea level, creating the ideal conditions for producing this delightfully floral and citrusy coffee that’s accented with berries and stone fruit.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
After selectively handpicking ripe cherry, farmers hand pulp cherry on their own farms and ferment it for approximately 36 hours. Then, farmers agitate the parchment to remove remaining mucilage, and wash it in clean water and lay parchment to dry in direct sunlight on concrete patios.
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.