About This Coffee
Finca San José Del Lago was purchased in 1909 by the great-grandfather of the current owner, Eduardo Cabrera. He’d originally planned to flip the property but had fallen so in love with the farm that he decided not to sell it. The farm was mainly wooded land and didn’t have any coffee production until the 1940s when Eduardo’s grandfather planted Typica and Bourbon varieties on the farm. When he passed, Eduardo's father and uncle took over the farm and added to it by improving infrastructure, expanding the coffee-growing area and growing other products such as avocados and bananas.
In 2016, they split the farm into two equal parts and the part that went to Eduardo is what’s now Finca San José Del Lago.
Cultivation
Eduardo’s focus is on improving coffee productivity through sustainable processes. He intends to increase shade cover and focus on traditional coffee varieties like the Typica and Bourbon currently on the farm. Though coffee is a good cash crop, Eduardo is dedicated to maintaining the existing forest areas on the farm to protect local wildlife and plant species.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively hand harvested and processed on the farm. Cherry is floated to remove any underripes and hand sorted to select only ripe, red cherry. Selected cherry is pulped and fermented in water for 6 to 8 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid on patios to dry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 10 to 15 days for parchment to dry.
Coffee in Guatemala
Guatemala boasts a variety of growing regions and conditions that produce spectacular coffees. Today, the country is revered as a producer of some of the most flavorful and nuanced cups worldwide. We are proud to work with several exceptional in-country partners to bring these coffees to market.
The Guatemalan coffee industry experienced a major setback with the 2010 appearance of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Latin America. The epidemic peaked in severity in 2012, and though CLR continues to affect some farms, Guatemala continues to produce high-quality, record-breaking coffees. In 2017, new and varied processing methods pushed prices at the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence contest to record highs.
The quality of coffee being produced in Guatemala is increasing, overall, due to the diversity of the industry’s producers. There are more and more small holder farmers producing exceptional coffee at high altitudes. Cooperatives are becoming more appealing to so many smallholders because they often offer farmers financing and other support for improving their farming and processing and are frequently able to offer higher prices for cherry than middlemen. Many cooperatives have initiated quality improvement training for farmer members and are becoming more adept at helping members market their coffee as specialty.