Guatemala Huehuetenango Organic - AAPICUC

Chocolate, nut bar, caramel, raisins, orange peel

Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2025/26
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P614886-2

Alameda, CA: 15 Bag(s)

Skip to the end of the images gallery

Skip to the beginning of the images gallery

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.

Coffee cherries are selectively hand-picked, depulped using artisanal pulpers, and fermented naturally for 2–3 days. After fermentation, coffee is washed with clean spring water and sun-dried for 4–5 days on patios or nylon surfaces until parchment stage. Coffee is then delivered to AAPICUC’s collection centers for quality control, traceability verification, storage, and commercialization.

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	69 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Criollo, Pache
Certifications	Organic Certified NOP

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.