Meet our Farmers

While Pepé is still a small-scale farmer at 60 hectares, we’re excited to have a slightly larger lot to offer from him than what we’re usually able to get at the producer ID level (for instance, all the farmers we work with in Oaxaca are extreme smallholders averaging just 1-2 hectares). We’re able to provide a deeper commitment than what Pepe would find at the auction level and find good homes for the whole range of coffee he produces. Pepé Arguello State Chiapas Municipality La Concordia Farm Name Santa Cruz Altitude 1360-1750 masl Varieties Bourbon, Typica, Yellow Caturra, Geisha Process Washed Fermentation 20-72 hours, dry in concrete tanks Drying 17-25 days, raised beds Harvest January-March Community-wise, the local workforce is integral to Finca Santa Cruz’s success in meeting demand. After the community helps harvest cherry, Pepe first floats the cherry in water, then ferments for 20-72 hours in concrete tanks depending on outside factors like weather and ambient temperature, using pH as his guide. He then dries washed parchment on raised beds with mesh covering for 17-25 days. He uses a hydrometer to measure the level of moisture in the coffee during drying. We’re excited to work together to help him customize processing for different clients and continue to invest in and improve quality. His practices also help inform and grow education in the surrounding farmer population. He carries on the legacy of his father and his community while advancing with the technologies of the present, producing a truly stellar product.

Managed by lifelong coffee trader Kedir Jebril (brother of Larcho Torka producer Abdi Jebril and Yabitu Koba producer Feku), Gogugu’s coffee goes through a meticulous process: he leaves freshly peeled seeds underwater for 60 hours compared to the average washing station’s 48. Coffees are then washed vigorously in elongated channels while also being selected for quality. The less dense Grade 2 quality beans are sifted off the top of the channel and taken to their own drying stations. The denser Grade 1 coffees eventually make it to a soaking tank where they’ll sit overnight removing any excess mucilage from the seed before they’re sent to the drying beds. Kedir keeps his parchment coffee covered in mesh for the first 5-6 days in order to avoid cracking and direct exposure to sunlight which can damage the integrity of the beans. After this first drying period the coffee is then opened to sunlight and left to dry for another 5-6 days before being conditioned in the storage warehouse for upwards of a month.

Banexport believes that when it comes to a breakdown in factors that contribute to quality: • 50% is determined by crop production (fertilization, pruning, and proper harvest of cherries) • 50% is determined by post-harvest processing (fermentation, pulping, drying, and storage) Based on this understanding, Banexport decided to establish Manos Juntas Micromill, in which they purchase cherries from producers and manage the processing, drying, and storage themselves. This model allows producers to focus on healthy production of specialty coffee, while the meticulous work of sorting, processing, drying, and storing is managed by Banexport's team.

Ten years later, due to our longstanding relationship with the leaders of the larger Kata Muduga cooperative union, we’re proud to have the right to first selection in this region, and the results of that opportunity are clear on the cupping table. Nano Challa brings an intense, lively sweetness like candied ginger and a sparkling, champagne-like finish, a testament to the work put into these coffees during growing, picking, processing, and beyond.

A couple years ago we extended our focus on a special project in the municipality Santa Bárbara of Huehuetenango. In this remote area, a small receiving station has been developed to service the coffee growers of this region. Assembling and separating lots by cup quality is procedure here. Up to 2,000 samples are cupped on average during the harvest season. Similar to Chimaltenango, the alluvial soil and dynamic terroir of this region harnesses some of the oldest coffee varieties such as Bourbon and Typica.

Orlando Aguilar comes from a coffee producing family, which has developed traditions in El Salvador. As a producer himself, he has focused on specialty coffee by working with strong varieties in an ideal climate with good, fertile soil. The harvest at Buena Vista farm is done selectively and by hand. After harvest, the coffee is fermented in sacks for 9–12 hours before being depulped, washed, and dried on raised beds for 10–13 days.