Mild malt and fresh coffee cherry flavors with tart acidity. The coffee beans are organically grown and fairly traded, and air roasted in small batches in Lancaster, Pa.

Region: Chimaltenango
Altitude: 1,400 to 2,200 M above sea level
Processing: Washed and sun dried
Varietal: Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Pache

The Country
Guatemala is the northernmost Central American country, just south of Mexico. The varied landscape of this country stretches from just south of the Yucatan peninsula all the way to the Pacific (with a stretch of Carribean oceanfront, many mountains, rainforests and cloud forests, and a string of 27 volcanoes in between). Springlike temperatures year ‘round allow for long growing seasons, and the people do not let the mountainous landscape stop them from farming! The many mountains and hills make travelling from place to place in Guatemala more challenging than in flat parts of the world.

The Coffee
It is uncertain when coffee came to Guatemala (it is suspected that it arrived with Jesuit missionaries). Records show coffee being grown in Guatemala in the mid 1700s. By the late 1800s, large coffee estates (fincas) began to grow and export coffee. Many of them are still growing and exporting their coffees. Coffee is grown in 20 of Guatemala’s 22 departments, producing eight distinct regions of coffee.

The Co-op
ASPROGUATE, the Asociacion Sostenible de Productores de Guatemala, is a cooperative established in 2014 by 100 organic coffee producers from regions including Coban, Acatenango, and Chimaltenango. The cooperative's mission is to promote sustainable development among small coffee producers and to provide access to international markets for their high quality, organically grown coffees. Aproximately 90%of ASPROGUATE's members belong to the indigenous Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil ethnic groups, with 55% of the the producers being women. The cooperative emphasizes gender equality and actively works to reject discrimination.