Vibrant and sweet. Tasting like white grapes, brown sugar and hazelnuts. Lingering red apple aftertaste.

Origin: Guatemala
Region: El Volcancito, Santa Rosa
Producer: Rene Garcia
Elevation: 1705 masl
Variety: Pache, San Ramon
Process: Washed

Roasted for: Filter

Ripe cherries are collected and de-pulped with a Penagos ecopulper the same day, before being left to dry ferment in sealed bags for 48 hours. The coffee is then washed and turned out onto raised beds to be dried for around 16 days in direct sunlight during the day, depending on the climate.

Rene’s farm was founded by his maternal grandparents, who were the first to start growing coffee there. After many years of hard work, they passed the farm down to his parents, but unfortunately, Rene's father did not take over the property and left it abandoned.

At the age of 14, Rene began working on the farm himself. He utilized cattle manure as fertilizer and also started sprouting his own seedlings to create new plantations on the finca. Initially choosing to reproduce yellow catuai. When Rene eventually ran out of space to plant more trees, his father inherited another portion of land, allowing him to establish a new plantation. Five years later, he purchased another piece of land from his uncle, and in 1998, his uncle permitted him to plant on a section of forest land that he owned.

However in the year 2000, Rene emigrated to the United States for five years. The reason for this decision was the lack of a viable market for coffee at that time. A sad reality of many Latin American producers having to leave their farms in search of more viable work in other countries. After five years abroad, he returned with the money he earned to maintain his farm and pursue what he truly enjoys—growing coffee.#

For Rene, being able to export his coffee this year for the very first time is a unique achievement. With the better sale price he received, he has seen increased profitability from his property. He plans to export more coffee from his farm in the future and hopes to one day travel to Canada to meet the friends who purchase his coffee. Rene strives to keep his farm free from pesticides and triazoles. He focuses on soil fertilization and weed control while maintaining regulated shade for the coffee plants, simulating a forest environment to promote biodiversity in the region. Since 2013, he and his colleagues have been actively involved in the
resistance against chemical silver mining occuring in the area, and they continue to stand in solidarity today.