Sourcing Details
There are plenty of obstacles to cultivating and exporting coffee from the department of Huehuetenango. The terrain is rugged and the weather is extreme. But coffee grows well here, and indigenous families with farms that average just a few acres in size have organized themselves within a cooperative called Cooperativa Integral de Comercialización Nuevo Amanecer CICONA, R.L (CICONA) to overcome the obstacles.
Processing Details
Each family uses their own micro-mill to process their harvest, which allows for meticulous care in cherry selection, depulping, fermenting, and drying the coffee. CICONA has a centralized warehouse to store dried parchment until it is time to move the coffee across the country along rough roads to Guatemala City where the coffee is prepared for export.
Exporter Details
Dried parchment is transported to a dry mill in Guatemala City managed by los Volcanes Coffee, which partners with CICONA to ensure quality control and traceability for the cooperatives coffee. Mild weather in Guatemala City provides ideal conditions for storing parchment in the warehouse until it is time to export. The mill is equipped with multiple pieces of equipment to sort green coffee typical in most dry mills, such as gravity beds, screens and electronic eyes. The partnerships between CICONA and Los Volcanes has made this traditional Huehuetenango regional profile shine.
