Key origin info:

Producer: Sotero Cano & family
Farm: Los Nisperos
Region: San Antonio Huista, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Altitude: around 1700 masl
Varietal: Caturra, Catuaí & Bourbon
Process: Washed & dried on patios
Exporter & Importer: Primavera Coffee

Cup profile: Creamy and coating body, apricot & vanilla fudge

More about Los Nisperos & Sotero Cano:

This single farm lot was produced by Sotero Cano and family at their farm Los Nisperos located near the town San Antonio Huista in the Hueuetenango highlands region. Sotero is an experienced coffee grower, and lives and works on the farm with his wife and three sons. Sotero has owned his land for decades, but he didn’t always farm coffee there. It was around 30 years ago that the family heard that coffee was a profitable crop and they started growing seedlings little by little. Apart from Nisperos they now also have a few other small parcels of land nearby dedicated to coffee farming. Sotero feels confident about the future of coffee for those who are willing to continue learning and innovating.

The farm is named after the fruit tree - nispero - that grows around the farm, providing shade to the coffee trees as well as food for many local birds. There are many of them on the farm, forming a lush canopy to protect the coffee trees from the elements and allow slow maturation.

Similarly to many small producers in the area, at Nisperos many organic farming methods are employed. Coffee pulp is turned into organic compost which is then used as a fertiliser and false banana trees are planted amidst coffee trees to provide potassium for the soil.

During harvest time, cherries are selectively picked and de-pulped on the same day of harvesting and fermented for approximately 48 hours (depending on the weather conditions). Once fermented, the coffee in parchment is washed with clean water and sun-dried on patios.

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. Our exporting partner Primavera Coffee, who are based in Guatemala, liaise directly with small-farmers in Huehuetenango to purchase their coffee at premium prices adequate for the great of coffee produced. The Primavera team also employ agronomy and processing professionals who can provide year round assistance directly to producers in order to improve and maintain their coffee quality.

Los Nisperos has been one of the longest returning coffees since the beginning of Curve and this year marks the 6th seasons of it featuring on our offering. It is tasting as delicious as ever and we are super excited to share it with you once again!