FECCEG has had associates in San Martin Jilotepeque since 2013 and since then has known the production area of 13 municipalities surrounding Joyabaj where the commercial tradition is mature for coffee. The initiative to implement a wet mill for the purchase and processing of ripe coffee was validated positively by the production of quality coffees. The Joyabaj Wet Mill is located in a central area of the mill and is accessible to the services necessary to operate. The first year of operation was in 2021 and it operated from January to April, processing 5,000 quintals of parchment coffee.

The harvesting, collection and selection of coffee beans are carried out by family members of each producer. Not all members of the communities have the means of transportation to transport their coffee, therefore there are people in charge of transporting the cherry coffee to the Joyabaj Wet Mill. In the Joyabaj Wet Mill the process begins with the washing of the cherry coffee, followed by a selection process that eliminates floating coffee beans. The next step is the fermentation of the coffee with the husk, which takes an average of 8 hours, followed by the transfer process to the drying patios or African beds. The drying process takes approximately 8 to 10 days. Manual movements are made so that the drying process is uniform and daily checks are made to ensure that the drying process is properly controlled.

Country of Origin: Guatemala

Region: Joyabaj, Quiche

Producer Type: Small Holder Farmers

Wet Mill: Joyabaj Wet Mill

Processing: Honey Processed

Processing Description: Fermented 18 hours, solar dryer with raised beds

Growing Altitude: 1500-1900 MASL

Plant Species: Arabica

Varietals: Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra

Certifications: Fairtrade Organic, Organic certified NOP, FLO Fairtrade Certified

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.