Guatemala San Juan Sacatepéquez Finca Concepcion Pixcaya SHB EP GrainPro

Coffee Background

The location where coffee is cultivated is often a defining characteristic.  This is certainly true for coffee grown in the region that surrounds Antigua, Guatemala. But contrary to what might be summed up with a location, there are many nuances to this lot from Finca Concepcion Pixcaya in the Antigua region of San Juan Sacatepéquez.  Farm management at this 250-acre estate is a prime example of the complexity that complements terroir.  For example, less than half of the estate is cultivated with coffee while the remainder is a natural reserve teeming with biodiversity.  And where coffee is cultivated, shade trees cover at least 50 percent of the area, which is an essential tool for growing delicate heirloom varieties and protecting the ecology of the estate.  Diversity also includes macadamia and avocado cultivation, and a pine and cypress forest.  In 2003 Concepción Pixcaya was nominated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for their efforts in reforestation.

Processing Details

During the post-harvest stage, a great deal of care is dedicated to understanding optimum ripeness before picking.  The wet-mill equipment has been updated to ensure efficient processing that is ecologically responsible.  For this lot, the cherries are floated to remove less dense and damaged coffee before depulping.  After depulling the mucilage is removed with a demucilager, which significantly reduces wastewater.  The washed coffee is then soaked in fresh clean water for 24 hours.  Next the coffee is gently dried on patios for a period of 2 weeks to 11 percent moisture.

Exporting Details

To prepare the coffee for export, Finca Concepcion Pixcaya works with an export company called Servex, which has a longtime and trusted relationship with Royal.  At the dry-mill, dried parchment is dehulled and sorted with equipment typical in most dry mills, such as gravity beds, screens and an electronic color sorter.