Guatemala Decaf FTO - AAPICUC Mountain Water Process

Chocolate, brown sugar, prune juice, muscat raisin

Bag Weight	60 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2025/26
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P615272-1

Alameda, CA: 110 Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

AAPICUC is recognized as a leading smallholder organization in Huehuetenango, representing approximately 218-252 smallholder farmers. The association is known for its strong traceability systems, inclusive governance, and long-term relationships with export partners and direct buyers. The average producer works on about 2 hectares per producer. Farms are located across six municipalities of Huehuetenango and managed under organic and fair trade principles. Shade-grown systems include native and traditional species such as Chalum, Gravilea, pine, and banana, contributing to biodiversity and resilience.

Mountain Water Process coffees are decaffeinated using pure spring water from Pico de Orizaba, the highest mountain in Mexico. Each batch of beans is steamed to create a green coffee extract, which is passed through a filter to remove only the caffeine content, then re-introduced to the green coffee. This process retains all the flavor and nuance inherent to the green coffee while removing 99% of the naturally occuring caffeine, all without the use of chemical additives or solvents.

Please note: The Mountain Water decaffeination process can impart a brownish hue to the physical coffee that ranges from light to darker tones. This is an expected outcome and does not impact the visual or cup quality after it has been roasted.

Country of Origin	Guatemala
Region	Unión Cantinil, Huehuetenango
Producer Type	Cooperative
Farm Name	Approximately 218–252 smallholder farmers
Co-Op	Asociación de Apicultores y Caficultores de Unión Cantinil
Processing	Washed
Processing Description	48-72hr fermentation, sun-dried on patios
Growing Altitude	1200m - 2000m

Harvest Season	2025/26
Bag Weight	60 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Criollo, Pache
Certifications	Organic Certified NOP, FLO Fairtrade Certified

History of Coffee in Guatemala

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.

Growing Coffee in Guatemala

Coffee farming practices are similar to other countries in the region, but Guatemala has an abundance of water, volcanic soil, and very distinct micro-climates compared to its neighbors. Although late to coffee, Guatemala recognized and responded to the needs of the emerging specialty coffee sector earlier than most coffee-producing regions. Anacafé, the coffee producers association in Guatemala, identifies seven growing regions: Fraijanes, the plateau south of Guatemala City; Coban, a rainforest region in the center of the country; Huehuetenango, highlands near the border with Mexico; Atitlan, primarily the volcanic mountains on the Pacific side of Lake Atitlan; San Marcos, between Huehuetenango and the Pacific Ocean; Oriente, the driest of the growing regions located near the eastern border with Honduras; and the most famous of all, Antigua, nestled among the volcanoes an hour’s drive southwest of Guatemala City.