Key Origin Info:

Producer: Catarina Ramirez
Processed at: by Catarina & family at their farm Yanta Witz

Region: Concepción Huista, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Altitude: 1700 masl

Variety: Caturra & Catuaí
Process: De-pulped, fermented & washed, dried on patios

Exporter & Importer: Primavera Coffee

Cup profile: Juicy & bright, stewed rhubarb & honey

Purshasing history: since 2021, 3rd season

About Catarina & her farm:

This exceptional single farm lot was produced by Catarina at her family farm Yinta Witz. The name of this farm, Yinta Witz, means ‘front of the mountain’ in the local Popti Mayan language.

As Primavera team share:

Catarina is a first generation producer based near the town Concepción Huista in Huehuetenango region. She is deeply involved in every aspect of running her farm and producing coffee, which is important for the family while her husband is working as a migrant laborer. They started the farm in 2013, and then sowed their first coffee seedlings two years after that. She cares for the coffee plants as she does for her beloved flowers around her home - with incredible care and attention so that the plants can thrive.

Catarina is part of the cooperative El Sendero which provides coffee producers support and information around Concepcion Huista in Huehuetenango region. The cooperative was formed in 2016 and it has 196 coffee producing members, of which 62 are women and 134 are men. The cooperative focuses on gender equality among coffee producers and especially supports young coffee producers.

About Catarina’s processing method:

During harvest, the coffee cherries are de-pulped on average about 5 hours after they are picked. Catarina then allows the de-pulped coffee to dry ferment for 32 hours. She chooses this dry method (without adding water to the fermentation tank) and the relatively long and slow fermentation time due to the cool ambient temperatures around her home wet mill. After the fermentation is complete, the family then washes the coffee thoroughly to remove the mucilage from the parchment. The parchment coffee is then moved onto the patio where it lies in direct sunlight for 7 hours per day for 6 days. The coffee is moved every hour in order to ensure thorough and even drying. After the drying is complete, the family bags up the coffee in clean sacks to store until it is ready to be delivered to Primavera’s warehouse in nearby San Antonio Huista.

We are very pleased to welcome Catarina’s coffee back in the roastery for the third year. running and even more so to confirm that it is tasting as good as ever. Bright, juicy, sweet and straight up delicious!

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.”