Guatemala Atitlan Organic - Seleccion Chochajau

Sweet, yellow fruit, chocolate, grape, nice intensity
On Sale
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Bag Weight 69 KG BAG
Harvest Season 2022/23
Status Spot
Lot Number P610504-1
  • 68 Bag(s)
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About This Coffee

Chochajau is a compound word formed by two references in the Quiche language which is commonly spoken in this region of San Juan La Laguna, Atitilan. The name is a reference to the location that is dominated by steep mountains and cold blue water. As the story goes, coffee can be traced back to the 1920’s and the families Puac, Tuy, Ajche, Mantanic and Xum. These families lived in Lake Atitlan but would travel Santo Tomas La Union to pick coffee for about 6 months of the year. The travel was both dangerous and taxing. Hence these families brought seeds back and started to plant their own coffee and become farmers themselves.

Today, there are 62 farming families that work in the production of this coffee all strictly following organic standards. The Chochajau group was initially formed as a GAT (Group of Friends and Work or Grupo de Amistad y Trabajo, in Spanish) in 2000. They have been certified organic since 2002. Any time a farmer decides to produce coffee organically there are several conditions that need to be in place in the environment, genetic varieties, and the process to make sure the quality and volume can be the same year on year. One of the driving factors behind this Chochajau is the special fertilizer mix that is used. A mix of cherry pulp, ash and dry leaves is composted and becomes a nutrient rich fertilizer so that coffee can continue to produce year on year.

Country of Origin Guatemala
Region Atitlán
Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
Wet Mill “El Faro” in San Juan La Laguna
Processing Washed
Processing Description Sun-dried on patios
Growing Altitude 1300m - 1900m
Harvest Season 2022/23
Bag Weight 69 KG BAG
Plant Species Arabica
Variety Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, Costa Rica 95
Screen Size 15 Up
Certifications Organic 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.

  • Region Atitlán
  • Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
  • Wet Mill “El Faro” in San Juan La Laguna
  • Processing Washed
  • Processing Description Sun-dried on patios
  • Plant Species Arabica
  • Variety Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, Costa Rica 95
  • Min Growing Altitude 1300m
  • Max Growing Altitude 1900m
  • Screen Size 15 Up
  • On Sale Yes
  • On Sale Text pallet discount
  • Top Lot No
  • Status Spot
  • Certifications Organic certified
  • Coffee Grade GTM CA WA SHB
  • CTRM Contract Number P610504-1
  • Country of Origin Guatemala
  • Warehouse The Annex

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