We’re incredibly proud to have Mexico Sierra Mazateca back on our offer list - and even prouder of why it’s here.

This lot comes from the Mazateca producer group in the state of Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s southernmost and most complex coffee-growing regions. Alongside communities such as El Zapoteco and Unión San Pedro, the Mazateca represent a part of Mexico where coffee production has been under real threat for over a decade.

A Region at Risk

In southern Mexico, farms are isolated and widespread. Infrastructure is limited. Access to finance and agricultural inputs is scarce. A decade of coffee leaf rust, combined with systemic underinvestment, reduced production yields in some areas by up to 90%. Today, many producers harvest so little coffee each year that production barely feels viable.

The consequences are visible: rural migration, ageing producer populations and fewer young people seeing coffee as a future.

And yet - this is also where some of the most characterful and complex coffees in Mexico are grown.

Why We’re Investing Here

We work with Raw Material, whose model is focused on building long-term producer trust and viability. Their approach ensures:

• 70% of the total price paid upfront on delivery of parchment
  
  

• A second payment on export, based on quality and final sale price
  
  

• An average 2.92x increase in profitability for producers in their supply chains
  
  

This structure provides something crucial: quicker and more reliable cash flow. In regions where access to finance is limited, stability matters just as much as the headline price.

Beyond payments, investment is going into practical change - basic QC equipment at farm level, the development of cupping labs, and programmes designed to engage younger generations and women in quality control and sensory roles. The goal isn’t short-term buying; it’s long-term viability.

Innovation in the Face of Climate Change

Climate change is already reshaping coffee production here. Unseasonal rains, rising temperatures and wildfires are becoming more common.

But producers are adapting.

In the Sierra Sur, Unión San Pedro is planting Maguey (Agave) alongside native shade trees to regenerate dry land before reintroducing coffee - an agroforestry system that rebuilds soil health and prepares farms for a hotter future.

Elsewhere, producers are developing entirely new drying techniques to cope with changing climates and limited infrastructure. These aren’t theoretical solutions; they’re practical, ground-level innovation happening right now.

More Than a Blend Component

When James visited the southern states in 2024 he was searching for a new component for our house blend. What he found was a washed Mazatecan lot with remarkable clarity: orange and nectarine sweetness layered over a syrupy, balanced structure.

It performed so well in the blend that we felt it deserved to stand on its own.

But flavour alone isn’t why we’re buying this coffee.

We’re choosing to invest in southern Mexico because these communities have been overlooked for decades. Because coffee here is culturally deep-rooted but economically fragile. And because if specialty roasters don’t build stable, long-term demand in regions like Oaxaca, these coffees and the livelihoods behind them, risk disappearing.

Every bag of Mexico Mazateca is part of that commitment.