Next-crop coffees from Guatemala are still on the trees. Need more Guatemala to get you through to April? Meet our 15 spot coffees from “the land of the eternal springtime” (as Guatemala’s national motto reminds us) and find the one that’s right for you.
Certified & Project Coffees
Guatemala Guaya’b Fairtrade Organic
The Guaya’b association has been certified Fairtrade since 2000, and a portion of the land is also certified Bird Friendly by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. The group uses the additional income from certifications to invest in its community in ways such as providing medical insurance and low-interest microloans that particularly benefit women.
Sweet stone fruits, chocolate, berries; snappy acidity, medium body.
Guatemala Ixil Avelina Fairtrade Organic
The Ixil Avelina cooperative has been helping its members improve their livelihoods through initiatives like earning Fairtrade certification (which they did in 2004) and participating in a Food 4 Farmers program that’s taught coffee producers to manage bee hives—which improve coffee quality and offer additional income and nutrition.
Sweet and nutty, stone fruit, nougat, chocolate.
Guatemala San José Poaquil HRNS
The nonprofit foundation Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS) went to Chimaltenango in 2015 with an entrepreneurship-focused guide for change and a hope of improving the lives of 1,000 coffee families. Today, 1,031 families have increased their yields and improved their incomes by an average 28 percent. InterAmerican is proud to be an on-going supporter of this project—and of its coffees.
Orange zest, chocolate, strawberries and cream; bright acidity, smooth body.
Through the nonprofit foundation HRNS, agronomists like Gaspar Poz (right) have been working with producers like Santiago Culpatan (left), and the coffee community in Chimaltenango has seen yields increase by 56 percent and incomes rise by 28 percent.
Guatemala La Voz Atitlan Organic
La Voz (short for La Voz que Clama en el Desierto , or The Voice that Cries Out in the Desert ) has been a certified Organic co-op since 1992. The Guatemalan Highlands produce some of the world’s most distinctive coffees, and La Voz’s 161 members (some of whom are pictured with IAC’s Kayd Whalen, below) cultivate Tipica, Bourbon and Caturra trees under the canopy of shade trees that’s home to a stunning variety of migratory bird species.
Tart, sweet and clean; green apple, green grape, chocolate.
Guatemala FECCEG Fairtrade Organic
La Federación Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FECCEG), is comprised of 12 small cooperatives in the Western Highlands and focuses on increasing members’ bargaining power in the global market, as well as on organic and value-added agricultural projects (including honey and chocolate) that promote food security and gender equality.
Chocolate, cinnamon, grapes, cherry lime; bright acidity, creamy body.
Drying coffee on Flor del Rosario.
Family Farms
Guatemala Flor del Rosario la Cascada
Horst Spitzke purchased Flor del Rosario 20-ish years ago, intending to raise cattle—but the land proved too steep. Applying the same rigor, passion and attention to detail that made him a successful engineer in his earlier career, he instead taught himself about coffee—and are we ever glad he did! His coffees (shown being dried below) are meticulously produced: crisp, well balanced and full bodied
Chocolate, caramel, citrus; lovely round mouthfeel, sweet finish.
Guatemala Santa Cruz Naranjo
Arriving from Spain, Elias Fernandez Gutierrez fell in love with Santa Rosa and Finca El Recreo, and today his grandson Nils Leporowski continues the coffee-farming tradition he began. Cherry is machine de-pulped, fermented 24 hours, washed and then dried in the sun on patios for five to eight days. El Recreo is active in its community and a supporter of the local school and health center.
Caramel, milk chocolate, green apple; sweet, clean, balanced.
Guatemala Genuine Antigua El Tempixque
Arturo Falla Cofiño purchased the beautiful El Tempixque more than 50 years ago. The farm has a number of environmentally friendly programs in place, including a water-efficient mill, a vermiculture program and dryers fueled by parchment hullings, as well as a health clinic that’s free to the farm’s employees, suppliers and their families.
Complex, sweet and bright; citrus, chocolate-covered raspberry.
Guatemala Antigua Bella Carmona
Bella Carmona is a blend of peak-harvest cherries from the some of the best farms in Antigua, processed at Beneficio Bella Vista. The Zelaya family, owners of Bella Vista, has been producing coffee for decades and their experience comes through in every cup.
Chocolate, blackberry, nuts; strong body, black-tea finish.
Group Efforts
Guatemala Santa Rosa Los Alamos SHB
Seven producers—Victoriano Lemus Gonzáles, Carlos Luis Donado Pimentel, Francisco Morales Carías, Isaías Morales, Hugo Villagrán Junior, Marvin Geovani Carias Donis (pictured at the very top of this email) and Catalino Aguilar Cordero—contributed to this coffee, which was coordinated by the RCMA dry mill. RCMA has worked closely with these producers over the years, sending agronomists to their farms to share advice, environmental best practices and guidance on meeting certification standards.
Milk chocolate, red fruits, soft citrus; winey acidity, medium body.
Guatemala San Pedro Necta
A collaborative effort by several dozen producers in the town of San Pedro Necta, in Huehuetenango, this coffee was picked at peak ripeness, floated for defects, de-pulped in hand-cranked machines, fermented for 12 to 18 hours, dried on patios and finished at the Beneficio Serben dry mill.
Fruity and bright, winey acidity, delicate body; milk chocolate, stone fruit, citrus.
Guatemala Tecuamburro SHB EP
Farms Agricola Siboney, Finca Tzultaca, Finca Moctezuma, Finca Santa Isabel, Familia Sanches and Dulce Nombre, plus producers Carlos Mejia, Luis Mejia and Carlos Contreras all contributed to this coffee, which was milled at Santa Isabel—a farm renowned for its pro-environment practices.
Milk chocolate, almond, caramel; complex citric acidity, smooth body.
Marvin Carias is one of seven producers who contributed to Santa Rosa Los Alamos.
2017 Crop
Guatemala Lago SHB EP
This coffee was grown by Juan Perez Tay in the hills around Lake Atitlan—a stunning volcanic lake with scenic small towns lining its many curves. Grown at up to 1,800 meters, the coffee was de-pulped, dry fermented and patio dried at the Nueva Esperanza wet mill.
Milk chocolate, nutty; citric acidity, creamy body.
Guatemala Cobán Fátima
Finca Rosario de Fátima is owned and managed by the Sterkel family. Located In Cobán, the farm grows only Caturra and benefits from the area’s cool, misty microclimate, the celebrated chipichipi rains, and rich limestone and clay soil.
Nougat, milk chocolate, nutty; citric acidity, pleasantly oaky finish.
Guatemala El Porvenir
Erik Perez is one of five coffee-growing brothers in Acatenango. On his farm, Don Erik grows mostly Red and Yellow Bourbon, along with some Caturra, Catuai and Pacas. Following a devastating Roya outbreak in the area, he’s been replacing his plants and is close to a complete renewal.
Cherry, apricot, sweet lemonade; delicate body, juicy acidity.
The El Tempixque farmhouse.
