Feature Filter: Herminio Lopez | Guatemala

About Herminio:

This single farm lot was produced by Heminio and his family at their farm El Carpintero in the highlands of Huehuetenango region. Herminio is an experienced coffee grower still excited to learn and develop his practices further. He is also passionate about teaching the younger generation not only about coffee farming but also caring for the environment. The farm is named El Carpintero - meaning woodpecker - after the woodpeckers that can be seen around it in the shade trees.

This is the second year we’ve purchased coffee from Herminio through our exporter partner Primavera coffee and are excited to share it with you once again!

About our exporter partner in Guatemala - Primavera Coffee:

Coffee production in Huehue is dominated by small producers whose farms are often based in very remote areas. The remote location requires that the majority of producers process and dry their own coffees. Their farm set up usually includes a small wet mill equipped with de-pulper and fermentation tank for washed processing, and concrete patios for drying. Being in charge of their own harvest and processing allows quality focused producers to be in control of the procedures and harness the best of their coffee's potential.

As with all of our coffee from Guatemala this lot has been sourced with the help of our friends from Primavera Coffee. Primavera are a Guatemala based exporter as well as an importer here in the UK. Headed up by Nadine Rash, Primavera Coffee are a company built on values of quality, transparency and sustainability. Having operations in Guatemala, Primavera are not only able to work directly with small producers and cooperative, they also employ local agronomists who are able to provide vital support in the fields such as technical advice on farming, fermentation and post-harvest processing practices.

Always striving to optimise value for producers, Primavera operates with fair margins to cover their costs and logistics. As they explain: “Sourcing directly from the coffee growers shortens the supply chain, allowing us to give them more of the financial benefits for their coffee. Not only is the price fairer for the producer, this form of direct trade allows farmers to be recognized for superior quality, efforts and enthusiasm.”