Once upon a time, Guatemala's main export was indigo and cochineal dye, but in the mid-1800s this industry collapsed after the invention of synthetic dyes. Suddenly, the people needed a new export. More history for you (don't worry it's all going to come together in just a moment): the Jesuit missionaries were in Guatemala in the mid-1700s - they were also expelled not too long after that - not only did they bring with them the message of Jesus Christ, they also brought ornamental coffee plants. Initially these plants were just that, ornamental, but after the decline of the dye industry the Guatemalan's set to work on fortifying their next big export - coffee.
Estimations say there's around 125,000 coffee producers in Guatemala, making Guatemala the eighth biggest exporter of coffee in the world. Most farmers have old, traditional varietals like Bourbon and Typica - the two original varietals.
There are 8 growing regions in Guatemala, many of our coffees come from Huehuetenango, where the coffees are often fruit forward.
*buy our current offering from this origin here*
2023
Team work makes the dream work - I’m always saying this. But I think this may be a more universal than just me sitting in this office in Amsterdam; as it’s also the way the Tinamit Toliman agricultural cooperative think.
In 2016 they formed an organisation to market their coffees, and in 2018 formalised their work together as a coffee cooperative; now experimenting with processing techniques and improving the quality of coffee from the surrounding area of Atitlan.
There are 26 members of the Tinamit Toliman cooperative and they work on farms from 1500-2000 masl, hand harvesting before bringing the coffee to their processing centre the same day.
This honey processed coffee is a fine example of the work they’re doing. It’s made up of Bourbon, Caturra, Pache, and Sarchimor varities; and has a beautifully creamy mouthfeel with notes of caramel, biscuit, and chocolate. Yum yum! 
We’ve been lucky this year to have multiple Guatemalan microlots from women farmers and producers, this coffee from Micaela Jacinto follows on from the high quality of our last two lots and her passion for learning the landscape and craft of coffee-based agriculture shines through.
Her farm Cacha’pina’ sits at 1700 masl, and its name translates to Guachipilin - a native tree common to Huehuetenango where the farm is based that plays a big role in indigenous healing. Originally operating her farm with her husband until he had to move to the US for work, Micaela now works alone on the farm and then handles all the processing. It’s long, hard work, especially for one woman, but that doesn’t impact the amount of care that goes into her farming and subsequent cherries.
A creamy, melon-y, sweet-y, and syrup-y cup; this washed Caturra/Bourbon coffee is one of those ones that doesn’t just taste good but also feels good to drink. Those are the best ones. 
Creamy, vanilla, a little red wine - sounds pretty good right? Another microlot from Guatemala, this omni roast is taking the lead as our go-to every day drinker.
Marta Neli Dominguez is a second generation coffee producer who inherited her farm from her parents, which inspires and informs her very traditional processing techniques. Tradition doesn’t always have to keep you in the past though, and Marta’s artisanal approach to environmentalism (the family transport coffee with horses, which sounds pretty romantic to me), echoes how much of a contemporary issue the climate is in coffee.
Made up of the varieties Caturra and Bourbon, and grown at 1620 - 1680 masl on Marta’s farm Canchapina in Huehuetenango, this coffee is doing a pretty good job of taking over from our last Guatemala, the Josefa Perez.
As a first generation coffee farmer, Josefa Perez is dedicated to her craft. In the morning, herself and her husband work as pickers for other farms before returning to their own in the afternoon to focus on their high quality lots. Her farm is part of a co-operative in Huehuetenango, El Sendero, which has bridged the gap for many farmers to the specialty market; and assists in sustaining her family economically.
The lot we have from her farm, Q’antxabina (which sits a 1730 masl), is a washed coffee but with a real creamy element. With flavour notes of hazelnut ice cream, green apple, and oolong tea, this is an omni roast that can be played around with to find so many sweet spots. 
Do you know how many rainbows there has to be in a place for the place to then be named after one? A lot I’d assume. Arcoiris is the Spanish term for rainbow, and the namesake of the farm where this coffee originates. At 1750 - 2300 masl, I’d say the proximity to the sky probably helps with the arcoiris situation (but I’m not a scientist so I have no idea how it works).
This is the second year of us having the Ixtatil, from the family farm of Francisco Javier Martinez Recinos - a man who has been farming coffee for most of his life, and at 70 years of age is still continuing to hone his considerable expertise.
A Bourbon varietal with some interesting flavour notes - milk chocolate and kombucha acidity.