Guatemala Lote Especial - Carlos Eduardo Rivas

Raisin, prune, sweet dates, Tootsie Roll

TOP LOT

Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2022/23
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P610890-3

Carteret, NJ: 9 Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

Carlos and his family started the renovation of Finca La Union in May of 2017. The site had been abandoned for nine years before they identified its potential and decided to put their effort and resources toward producing quality coffees. Starting with weed control and management of the shade trees, they moved on to using compost to renewing the health of the soil. After years of effort, they are consistently achieving a high quality cup.

On La Unión the coffee crops are shaded with different kind of forest trees and the coffee crops are planted with 1-2 meters of distance from each other, making them look like contour lines marking elevation. Using the traditional washed process found in Guatemala for their production, after handpicking and depulping the cherries with care, they use big tanks to ferment the coffee overnight and before it is washed and finally dried on patios. Carlos and his family now are experimenting with different processes, to diversify their offerings.

Country of Origin	Guatemala
Region	San Pedro Necta, Huehuetenango
Producer Type	Single Estate
Farm Name	Finca La Union
Processing	Washed
Processing Description	Fermented 12-24hrs, sun-dried on patios
Growing Altitude	1500m - 1800m

Harvest Season	2022/23
Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, Anacafe 14, Sarchimor

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.