The history of coffee in Guatemala is very similar to its Central American neighbour, El Salvador, in the sense that it was thought to have been found growing there in around 1750 but did not take off commercially until one hundred years later following the decline of the indigo industry due to the introduction of chemical dyes. It was at this time that the value of the coffee industry was realised and, in 1868, the government distributed one million seeds across the country and set up an organisation to promote coffee and educate growers. Coffee became the country’s main export which, unfortunately, resulted in the loss of land for many indigenous farmers and contributed towards the vast distribution of wealth in Guatemala.

These political issues continued to dominate throughout the 20th century and culminated in civil war from 1960 to 1996. During this time, many farmers abandoned their land due to the conflict and Guatemala’s coffee production dipped. However, at the turn of the millennium, coffee production peaked just as the world coffee crisis (a 6 year period of severe market lows) hit forcing many producers to dig up their coffee trees and farm alternative crops such as nuts and avocados.

Nowadays, thanks to the industry body Anacafe which has worked to actively promote the many regional differences in Guatemalan coffee, the country has a reputation for quality and supports a number of projects which aim to create a more sustainable industry. The key growing regions are: San Marcos (West), Acatenango (South-West), Atitlán (Central), Cobán (North), Nuevo Oriente (East), Huehuetenango (North West), Fraijanes (South East) and Antigua (South). Varietals grown are mainly Bourbon, Caturra and Catuai with the occasional Typica and Marogogype. We generally look to the areas of Huehuetenango and Antigua for our Guatemalan coffees as it is these regions which contribute some of the most successful coffees in the Cup of Excellence programmes.

We have worked with the Vides family who own Finca La Bolsa in Huehuetenango since 2015 and have prized their approach to looking after their farmworkers and land farming with high levels of social and environmental responsibility.

Finca La Bolsa has been in existence since 1958 and is the brainchild of Jorge Vides, a distinguished medical professional whose hobby for coffee cultivation turned into something much more meaningful. La Bolsa stands for ‘handbag’ and is aptly named due to its position nestled between two mountains, which provide a very stable, humid microclimate. This combined with the limestone rich soils give the coffee trees all they require to produce cups of great quality with the perfect balance of acidity and body.

La Bolsa is a place where social, agricultural and environmental aspects of farming are a key focus of plantation management, ensuring sustainable practices are front and centre throughout every stage of production. By design, the farm is more than just a place of work. It is an important hub for not only it’s workers but for the whole community, providing work, education and healthcare to the region. We had the pleasure of visiting the vibrant and colourful on-site school during our last trip where we learned all about the curriculum and the various initiatives available to the children from their fully qualified, full-time teachers. As well as academia, the school has also made Associate Coffee Care available to it’s students – a project that seeks to reduce child labour and improve quality of life for coffee pickers and their families. Students aged between 2-14 years old have access to nutritional advice and are taught valuable life skills that have been designed to aid them in everyday life and improve general health.

The farm is Rainforest Alliance certified but in essence it is so much more. With each visit we have been so very impressed by the fertility of the land, general health of the crops, organisation on the farm and commitment to the conservation of the ecosystem that is being both farmed and lived in. This is testament to the skilled agronomists and dedicated workers on site who enforce good agronomic practices which align with and in most cases surpass Rainforest Alliance standards.