DRIFT - La Libertad, Guatemala
DRIFT - La Libertad, Guatemala
Milk chocolate. Blackberry. Custard.
This light-medium roasted bean reminds us of rich milk chocolate, sweet & bright blackberries, and has a smooth, almost vanilla custard-like flavour and mouthfeel.
It comes from a collection of small coffee producers in the western region known as 'the highlands' of Guatemala. In 1969, several small producers in the area of La Libertad banded together to protect themselves from Coyotes, who were unscrupulous coffee buyers exploiting the small producers by purchasing coffee at unfairly low prices. At that time, one kilogram of maize was worth 15 quetzales (around 1.5 GBP per kg), while a kilogram of coffee was worth approximately 35 quetzales (around 3.5 GBP per kg). Coyotes took advantage of the producers' desperation by approaching them during times of food scarcity and exchanging one kilogram of maize for a future kilogram of coffee from the next harvest. This predatory practice forced the small producers to trade away future crops to alleviate their immediate hunger.
In response, 22 small producers came together to create protective structures. Jose Recinos, known to his friends as Chepemingo, spearheaded the formation of what would soon become a cooperative. Along with 21 other small producers, he established a legal entity to support and protect the small producers. At that time, they produced 30,000 pounds of parchment coffee. Today, these remarkable small farmers from La Libertad produce around 4,000,000 pounds of parchment coffee.
Region: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Producers: 22 smallholder farms
Varietal: Bourbon, Caturra, Pache
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1800-1900 metres above seal level
Green sourcing partner: Caribbean Goods