GUATEMALA - FINCA LA MORENA #2300

Roaster's Notes

This washed Guatemalan coffee is balanced, clean, and filled with comforting chocolatey tasting notes! It's also from women producers who are making great strides in the coffee industry in Guatemala. We are so excited to support them and share this coffee with you! From the importer: In Guatemala, gender equality remains a challenge, and coffee has long been a maledominated industry. These factors have made it incredibly difficult for women—who nearly always enter the business because their father or husband is sick or has died— to compete and thrive in the coffee world. We’re thrilled to offer this microlot, which was grown by three producers, from three regions in Guatemala, and harvested, produced, exported, imported, cupped and sold—all by women. Karin Hernandez represents Finca San Jose Buenavista. Her father purchased the farm when she was a girl, and she’s worked on it ever since. In addition to growing her own coffee, over the last 8 years Karin has worked closely with her community, where many producers are women, since the men work at a local factory. Recognizing their need for better training and more knowledge, Karin turned herself into a resource. Eventually, she learned about Genuine Origin’s Volcafe Way program, which now provides the women with the training and advice they were looking for. The region of San Juan Altotenango, near the famous Antigua, is strongly influenced by the Agua Volcano. In addition to fertile, volcanic soil, cool winds from the volcano mix with warm air that flows from the South Coast. Beautiful forests also help to keep the temperature stable. Celeste Fumagalli’s father planted their farm from scratch; when she was 25, he passed away and left her the farm. Her first year, she sold her coffee cherry to the middleman her father had always trusted, but he disappeared with it and never paid her. Celeste became determined to establish a wet mill on the farm and trade her coffee in parchment. Initially, the workersbristled at working for a woman, and one with new ideas. Today, she has the respect of everyone on the farm and appreciates the importance of full traceability, identifying her best lots, and applying best practices in the field and in her mill. Her farm, Finca El Bonito, is in the region of Conguaco Moyuta, in Oriente, which is known for its incredible views of the Pacific. Coffee here is produced at very high altitudes, and each afternoon the cold weather from the mountains and the hot, humid air from the ocean clash and form a dense fog. Combined with its big, old trees, the area is though to be very mystical. Jovita Castillo’s journey in coffee began in the ’80s, when she was working for one of the largest agricultural trading companies. When the company went bankrupt, Finca Joya Grande, one of Guatemala’s most famous coffee farms, was awarded to a trust, and production fell from 50,000 quintales of cherry to 6,000. The farm was later sold to its current owners, who hired Jovita, trusting her to manage the farm completely. She’s been in charge for the last 10 years, and production is now at 32,000 quintales. Finca Joya Grande is located in Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, Santa Rosa, which is influenced by the volcano at its center, Volcan Tecuamburro, which has an acidic lake at its top. The weather here is temperate, with good sunlight hours for growing coffee and rich, volcanic soil.