Guatemala - Finca El Valle (2023 Crop)

Dark chocolate, berry tart, nectarine, cherry

Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2022/23
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P610656-1

Carteret, NJ: Out of Stock Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

Finca El Valle is a family farmwith more than 100 years of history. The whole family is involved, from sales to quality control to farm management. Don Rigoberto Gonzalez is the General Manager. The farm is located in the valley of Antigua, Guatemala, hence the name in Spanish is El Valle (the valley).

After picking at optimum ripeness, all the cherry undergoes the traditional washing process. The pulping is mechanical; after this step, the coffee is left to ferment in tanks for a maximum of 32 hours and then washed. Their mill is small, it can only receive 200 quintals daily, so their spacious patios have the the capacity to dry all the washed coffee without issue. Depending on the climate, the drying time is between 7 and 10 days.

Country of Origin	Guatemala
Region	Antigua
Producer Type	Single Estate
Farm Name	Finca El Valle
Processing	Washed
Processing Description	Fermented up to 32 hours, sun-dried on patios
Growing Altitude	1500m

Harvest Season	2022/23
Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Red Bourbon, Typica, Yellow Bourbon

History of Coffee in Guatemala

Although coffee was brought over from the Caribbean in the mid-18th century by Jesuit priests, it was used primarily as an ornamental plant and garden crop for 100 years in Guatemala. Coffee wasn’t widely traded, however, until commercial production began in the 1850s. The volcanic soil and various micro-climates proved ideal for growing coffee in Guatemala. Coffee, within a generation, became the country’s most important crop. In 1860, Guatemala exported 140,000 pounds of coffee, and just 25 years later, the country was exporting over 40 million pounds. Large numbers of coffee farmers were German immigrants responsible for many inventions and innovations related to coffee milling. Most of Guatemala’s coffee was exported to Germany until the First World War, when exports shifted to the United States.

Growing Coffee in Guatemala

Coffee farming practices are similar to other countries in the region, but Guatemala has an abundance of water, volcanic soil, and very distinct micro-climates compared to its neighbors. Although late to coffee, Guatemala recognized and responded to the needs of the emerging specialty coffee sector earlier than most coffee-producing regions. Anacafé, the coffee producers association in Guatemala, identifies seven growing regions: Fraijanes, the plateau south of Guatemala City; Coban, a rainforest region in the center of the country; Huehuetenango, highlands near the border with Mexico; Atitlan, primarily the volcanic mountains on the Pacific side of Lake Atitlan; San Marcos, between Huehuetenango and the Pacific Ocean; Oriente, the driest of the growing regions located near the eastern border with Honduras; and the most famous of all, Antigua, nestled among the volcanoes an hour’s drive southwest of Guatemala City.