Guatemala Jorge Luis Sanchez (Olam Direct)
About This Coffee
The Region
The town nearest Jorge’s farm is called Rancho Viejo, and is situated near the top of the mountain ridge. The town is about a one-day trip from Huehuetenango (if you were traveling on horseback). In times past there was a ‘rancho’ or hostel for those that were traveling westward towards Mexico. The Rancho is no longer there to house travelers as these days people travel by motorcycle or truck, but the name Rancho Viejo has stood the test of time.
Santa Barbara is a municipality in the department of Huehuetenango in the northwestern region of Guatemala and is named in honour of the patron saint Barbara de Nicomedia. The region is located in the Cuchumatanes mountain range which has altitudes that reach over 3000 meters (too cold for coffee to grow!) The climate is typically dry and the roads dusty.
Santa Barbara has been part of the Mam empire since pre-Hispanic times. Different native languages are spoken including Mam and derived dialects. The municipality has existed as such since colonial times and its Catholic cathedral has the distinctive architectural characteristics of the time.
The Process
Jorge has built one of the most innovative agro-forestry farms that we have seen in Huehuetenango. For context the region has plenty of altitude but lacks water. This provides a rather stressful environment for the coffee. Jorge has two main crops: peaches and coffee. He grows peach as his shade tree over the coffee. Peach in this region actually has a different harvest cycle from his coffee.
As soon as he finishes the coffee harvest in March or April the peaches are already filling out on his trees. In July/August the peaches are full then picked for harvest. In the Fall, Jorge has a short break before starting to prep for the coffee harvest. During the coffee harvest which starts in December the peach trees drop their leaves adding organic fertiliser to the coffee and allowing much needed sun to encourage the ripening of the coffee during the cold winter days.
As the region has little rain one of the challenges for the farmers is water to process the coffee. Jorge is very lucky to have a spring
- Status Spot
- Subregion Santa Barbara, Huehuetenango
- Farm Name San Luis (Jorge Luis Sanchez)
- Producer Type Single Estate
- Processing Washed
- Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact
- Plant Species Arabica
- Variety Bourbon, Caturra, Pache
- Coffee Grade GTM CA WA SHB FANCY
- Min Growing Altitude 1800m
- Screen Size 15 Up
- Origin Guatemala
- Warehouse Schwarze & Consort.
- Olam Programs Olam Direct
- On Sale No
- Top Lot No
- CTRM Contract Number P8001807-2
- Price Per Kg €9.75