

GUATEMALA: SIERRA DE LAS MINAS
Regular price $21.50
Unit price per
GUATEMALA
SIERRA DE LAS MINAS
TASTES LIKE: Hazelnut and Vanilla pudding.
Medium Roast: 12oz / 340g BAG
REGION: San Antonio La Paz, El Progreso
FARM: El Pamarito
VARIETY: Bourbon, Pache San Ramon
ALTITUDE: 1700 - 1900 m.a.s.l
PROCESS: Fully Washed
Sierra de las Minasis a mountain range in eastern Guatemala extending 130km west of Lake Izabal. It is 15–30km wide and bordered by the Polochic River valley in the North and the Motagua River valley in the South. Its western border is marked by the Salamá River valley, which separates it from the Chuacús mountain range. The highest peak is Cerro Raxón at 3,015 m, otherwise known as La Cumbre. The Sierra's rich deposits of jade and marble have been mined throughout the centuries, which explains the mountain range's name. The range has several different habitats, including Mesoamerica's largest cloud forest, and is home to a great variety of wildlife. A large part of the Sierra de las Minas was declared a biosphere reserve in 1990.
El Pamarito is a farm located in the county of SanAntonio La Paz in the department of El Progreso in Guatemala. Sierra de las Minas has an altitude that ranges from 1700 to 1900 masl. This is the highest non-volcanic chain of mountains in Guatemala outside of the Huehuetenango region. El Pamarito is owned and operated by Carlos Gómez and stretches across 60 hectares. Gómez harvests several varieties, including Bourbon, PacheSanRamón, and an assorted mix of unidentified yellow varietals that grow under native forest shade.
About Guatemalan Coffee:
Coffee came to Guatemala in the late 18th century. European immigrants were encouraged by the Guatemalan government to establish plantations. Seeds and young coffee plants were distributed by the government, and by the late 1800s, Guatemala was exporting nearly 300 million pounds of coffee annually.
A large percentage of Guatemala’s population identifies with one of more than 20 officially recognized indigenous groups. Most farmers are smallholders who are either working independently of one another or formally working in cooperative associations.
In 1960, coffee growers developed a union, which has since become the national coffee institute Anacafé, a research centre and financial organization that provides loans and supports growers throughout the various regions.
Starting in 2012 and lasting for several years, an outbreak of coffee-leaf rust proved a tremendous obstacle for coffee production in the country, reducing yields by as much as 25% and causing the government to declare a state of emergency. Anacafé has been working closely with World Coffee Research on various trials and research that will hopefully result in future protection and prevention of similar outbreaks and provide more productive harvests for the smallholder farmers.