What can you find among the volcanoes?

Project: Entre Volcanes

" Entre Volcanes," as our latest acquisition from Guatemala is called, is a special project that began in 1990. This project focuses on supporting local, small-scale specialty coffee farmers in Guatemala.

Approximately 500 smallholder farmers are involved, and the project was developed by the Falla family. Today, it is jointly managed by this family and the partner of our sourcing partner (The Coffee Quest), in Antigua called San Miguel Mill.

They both also have a background as coffee producers and decided years ago that they wanted to help small farmers.

Because of their background, they are also aware of the challenges that local farmers face, so they know exactly where they can provide support.

The coffee

In case you 're wondering what the title of this blog refers to, "entre volcanes" means "between the volcanoes" in Spanish, the language spoken in Guatemala.

This new addition to our freshly roasted coffee bean category consists of two types of coffee beans : Bourbon and Caturra (both Arabica varieties). The coffee plants grow under the shade of trees at an altitude of between 1500 and 1700 meters.

San Miguel Mill in Antigua is a coffee processing facility, so all smallholder farmers bring their harvest to this central point, where it is processed on-site.

The berries are washed and fermented (about 18 hours), after which they are dried on drying beds and by means of mechanical dryers.

The result is a beautifully balanced coffee, scoring medium on acidity, sweetness, and body. The flavor can be described as a nice balance of chocolate and caramel notes, along with red apple and a hint of citrus. Not too crazy, but a beautiful espresso!

Challenges and the planet

I mentioned earlier that the managers of this project are aware of the challenges involved. Naturally, these challenges primarily involve receiving fair prices for the right quality and preventing labor exploitation.

The organization is more than happy to help them with this, and as a brander, we naturally support these kinds of projects wholeheartedly. If you've never been, Guatemala has truly beautiful nature.

The aim of Entre Volcanes is to establish sustainable coffee production in addition to preserving this beautiful natural environment.

Excited? Time for a taste :-). Check out Entre Volcanes coffee here .