GUATEMALA FT ORGANIC JUANITA BRAVO SHB EP - *50114* - 25320 - GrainPro Bags - SPOT RCWHSE

Good supply chains deliver tasty coffee. This is certainly the case with a collection of micro-lots that just arrived courtesy of the Federación Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FECCEG), an umbrella organization that helps producers with small farms gain access to the international market. Juanita Bravo Mateo produced one of these lovely micro-lots on her 9-acre farm called El Cipresal near the village of la Pinada in the municipality of San Pedro Nécta.

This is the second time Juanita has seen her coffee featured as a micro-lot.

She has worked up to this goal for the last six years through her membership in La Asociación Civil Maya Alternativa (COMAL), an association of 231 producers.

COMAL has focused attention on training producers on the best organic practices to manage their farms and diversification projects like beekeeping. Juanita has put her training in action, making her own organic fertilizer and harvesting honey from two hives.

Juanita has her own micro-mill to process harvested cherries. First, she floats the cherry in water to remove less dense and damaged beans.

Then she depulps, ferments, washes and dries the coffee to 11 percent moisture.

At this stage, FECCEG steps in to support Juanita with transportation, warehousing and cupping analysis, and later provides the preparation for export.

FECCEG has worked hard to ensure coffee traceability so that Juanita receives more income for improved quality. Increased earnings from coffee sales help Juanita strengthen her family’s livelihood.