About this Coffee
Introducing our Organic Guatemala, a delightful newcomer boasting a harmonious blend of medium body and acidity. Experience a well-rounded cup with flavor nuances of granola, cacao, and a satisfying stone fruit finish reminiscent of apricot. Indulge in subtle hints of chocolate chip cookie, velvety hot chocolate, nougat, and a touch of citrus, leaning towards bergamot with a delicate herbal or lemongrass undertone. As the temperature drops, anticipate notes of rich chocolate, spices, brown sugar, a hint of walnut, and a refreshing citrus profile with lemon-lime dominance and hints of orange. Enjoy this exceptional coffee experience.
Good supply chains deliver tasty coffee. This is certainly the case with coffees arriving courtesy of the Federación Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FECCEG), an umbrella organization that helps smaller cooperatives gain access to the international market. This particular lot comes from Cooperativa Agrícola Integral El Renacimiento R.L., which operates in the Quiché Mayan communities located in the municipality of Nahualá within the department of Sololá, which encircles Lake Atitlan.
This collaborative effort ensures that the coffee goes through a meticulous process to deliver a wonderful final product.
Cooperativa Renacimiento was founded in 1987 and has 70 members (33 women) with farms that average 1.5 acres in size. The cooperative has focused attention on training producers on the best organic practices to manage their farms and diversification projects like beekeeping. In addition to making their own organic fertilizer and harvesting honey, producers use their own micro-mills to process harvested cherries, which includes hand sorting, depulping, fermenting, washing and drying the coffee to 11 percent moisture. At this stage, FECCEG steps in to support the cooperative with transportation, warehousing and cupping analysis, and later provides the preparation for export.Cooperativa Renacimiento, established in 1987, comprises 70 members, including 33 women. The cooperative operates in the Quiché Mayan communities located in the municipality of Nahualá, within the department of Sololá, which surrounds Lake Atitlan. The average farm size for the members is 1.5 acres.
One of the key focuses of Cooperativa Renacimiento is to train its producers in the best organic practices for managing their farms.
Additionally, the cooperative engages in diversification projects such as beekeeping. This emphasis on organic practices and diversification contributes to sustainable and environmentally friendly coffee production. The coffee processing at Cooperativa Renacimiento involves several steps. After the cherries are harvested, the producers use their own micro-mills for processing. This includes hand sorting, depulping, fermenting, washing, and drying the coffee until it reaches 11 percent moisture content. This careful processing helps maintain the quality and flavor of the coffee beans.
Following the processing stage, FECCEG steps in to provide support to the cooperative. This support includes transportation, warehousing, and cupping analysis. Cupping analysis is a crucial step in evaluating the quality and characteristics of the coffee beans. Finally, FECCEG assists with the preparation of the coffee for export, ensuring that it meets the necessary standards and requirements for international markets.
Overall, the collaboration between Cooperativa Renacimiento and FECCEG, along with the dedication to organic practices and quality control, helps deliver a delicious coffee product from the Quiché Mayan communities in Guatemala.
History of Guatemalan Coffee
Although coffee was brought over from the Caribbean in the mid-18th century by Jesuit priests, it was used primarily as an ornamental plant and garden crop for 100 years in Guatemala. Coffee wasn’t widely traded, however, until commercial production began in the 1850s. The volcanic soil and various micro-climates proved ideal for growing coffee in Guatemala. Coffee, within a generation, became the country’s most important crop. In 1860, Guatemala exported 140,000 pounds of coffee, and just 25 years later, the country was exporting over 40 million pounds. Large numbers of coffee farmers were German immigrants responsible for many inventions and innovations related to coffee milling. Most of Guatemala’s coffee was exported to Germany until the First World War, when exports shifted to the United States.