Grown in the mountains of Huehuetenango by the Red de Mujeres, which translates to women's network, this superb Guatemalan forms part of our organic coffee offering. Let's take a closer look at where this coffee is grown, and the hard work that goes into creating a coffee of this quality.
Guatemala
In 2022, Guatemala exported an estimated 3.2 million 60kg bags of coffee. That's a lot of coffee, but for the past 10 years, coffee exports have actually been slowly declining across the country. This is not only attributed to climate change, but also to rising labour and farming costs, alongside increased demand for the countries other crops.
With both sugar & bananas competing with coffee annually as the number one export, some small holder farmers have abandoned coffee production, in favour of these other profitable crops. But as overall production falls, quality has increased, with 96% of Guatemalan coffee exports made up of Arabica. Guatemala is home to just over 175,000 coffee farms, with 44% of these farms being made up of small holder farmers, averaging 1.1 HA in size.
Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango is the largest coffee growing region in Guatemala, accounting for approximately 15.94% of the coffee growing area in the country. As one of the three non-volcanic producing areas, Huehuetenango is protected from frost by the hot winds that blow into the mountains from Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain.
This unique climate allows Highland Huehue to be cultivated up to 2000m. Combine this high altitude with the chalky soils of Huehuetenango and you have the ideal growing conditions for exceptional arabica coffee.
Red de Mejeres
The Red de Mujeres is a large group of female coffee producers covering 5 different areas of Huehuetenango.
The group is made up of 830 women. Within the entire community there are 8 different languages spoken, highlighting the diversity of culture and language in this particular area of Guatemala. All of these women have been either widowed during the 36 years of civil war in Guatemala, or were left when their husbands fled the country during the coffee crisis between 2001 and 2004. Since Huehuetenango was one of the areas hardest hit by the crisis, many people decided to give up altogether and find work elsewhere, leaving their families behind.
With the help of ACODIHUE, a coffee growing organisation who provide support to coffee farmers through empowerment, education, financial support and help with resources, these female producers have been united in marketing their coffee and finding international buyers. ACODIHUE has also supported them in training in organic farming methods, from producing and applying fertiliser, to rust and pest control methods.
The Coffee
Grown using organic farming methods, this washed coffee is made up of three different varietals, Caturra, Bourbon & Typica. In the cup, this translates to a coffee that is sweet & clean, with a crisp acidity. We’ve brewed it a number of ways and have found that it is well suited to both filter and espresso brewing. In the cup you can expect to taste a top note of kiwi, sweet caramel & a crisp green apple acidity.
- Profile:Kiwi, Caramel, Green Apple
- Country: Guatemala
- Region: San Antonio Huisia, Huehuetenango
- Producer:Red De Mujeres
- Process: Washed
- Altitude: 1700-1960
- Variety: Caturra, Bourbon, Typica
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