LA CUMBRE

The Farm

The region of Huehuetenango is home to some of our favourite Guatemalan producers. La Cumbre - the summit - is one of the highest points in the area that surrounds the town of San Antonio Huista. The rich, verdant landscape offers fantastic terroir for coffee. Catalina produces the Caturra, Bourbon, and Pache varietals. Across the farm, evergreen grevillea trees provide shade for the different coffee.

This coffee is the result of a great deal of effort by Catalina and her family; she herself is in charge of the processing of this coffee. The steep landscape means that sacks of cherries are moved by horse from the farm to the road, and then loaded into a truck which brings them to the mill.

We were excited by the chance to support Catalina in a new project, with a focus on quality and sustainability improvements at the farm. Stay tuned for updates on how we will be making a difference.

The Process

First, the coffee is harvested at peak ripeness and then must be transported to the wet mill. The coffee is depulped with the use of water and then placed in a cement tank to dry ferment. Fermentation lasts 24 hours. After the fermentation, the coffee is washed and then placed in a clean tank to soak with water for an additional 8 hours. Finally, the coffee is placed in the sun to dry. The coffee spends about 6 hours in direct sunlight every day for 6 days.