February 2025
Working in specialty coffee commands a respect for the origin of each coffee we purchase and roast. Every country, every region, every zone has a particular distinction that defines it. In its purest essence, it is called terroir in the wine industry: the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. Coffee is no different and in order to fully understand and embrace these traits, we as coffee roasters are occasionally blessed with opportunities to travel to these exotic locales.
The intent of these travels, or as we say in the business, “going to origin”, is not just to inspect farms and learn more from producers, but to cross borders and forge direct relationships with them. In a time of political uncertainty, rising costs and climate change, we feel that it is more valuable than ever to connect on a farm level. As a former chef, I felt a certain familiar tug to see the source. I wanted to connect the images in my mind of the green coffee in our warehouse to the roasted coffee in my cup that is served at our cafés and sold to our customers.
Our Director of Coffee Chris Miller, also a former chef, charged me with getting on the ground at origin and was able to set up a visit to Finca La Bolsa in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. This trip was facilitated by our import partners at Sucafina. We’ve been buying coffee for years from them and their affiliate Sustainable Harvest.
Sunday 16 February 2025
After passing through Miami International Airport (and a killer meal at La Carreta) we landed in Guatemala City and met straight up with the very delightful and well-traveled Al Lui of Sucafina and Bobby Winston of French Truck Coffee in New Orleans.
After a small rest, we headed out to a steakhouse called Hacienda Real Majadas. Walking by the host stand you could peer into a giant open kitchen with a massive hearth. The chef stood there in all white, breaking down a large cut of beef with flames licking the steaks behind him on the pivotal grill. The pass was a large, flat island tiled in beautiful colors and easy to move around; no stainless steel or fire protected wall coverings or blinding lights. No ugly racks loaded with greasy containers and dangling ladles. Off to the side were two cooks pressing and cooking thick tortillas to order and passing them to servers through a decorated window. They flashed warm smiles as we said hello and I was 1000% convinced that this was going to be enjoyable. Each room gave way to more rooms with historical artwork and references on the walls. Incredible tropical vegetation poked through the windows and ushered in a sense of place.
The menu was like many we saw in Guatemala and featured traditional items. We certainly enjoyed a stack of those fresh tortillas with black beans and guacamole as well as a gorgeous thick cut rump steak called puyaso. This lean cut is best consumed medium-rare, but what I enjoyed was discovering a still intact cap of fat around the outside, which was scored like a honeycomb to release its assistance during the cooking process. I swear the herbs here are stronger and the spices are more pronounced. We washed this all down with local favorite Gallo beer, a clean crisp Pilsner in a green bottle with a gold label featuring a black rooster. Exhausted, we returned to the hotel to prepare for a 6am departure to the airport.
Monday 17 February
A quick breakfast and I’m loving the carmelized plantains along with fajita style chicken, scrambled eggs, rice, beans, and tortillas. Restorative paste, that!
Driving around reminds me of some parts of classic Barcelona; colonial and grand, but older here. There are gates on every building, high walls, barbed wire, but then pretty tile roofs and ivy.
All the cars are small front wheel drive imports with murder tinted windows. Heavily armed private security is very visible and we were advised regularly to not walk anywhere alone. Neighborhoods changed quickly and drastically. I realized how much I was taking in and felt confounded to not have a better grasp of the Capital City.
There were roadside pop up tables, like a picnic, as street vendors prepared simple takeaway meals and beverages. One thing stood out - these were kind people who were constantly smiling.
We pulled up to Mundo Maya Air and entered the waiting lounge along with a few guys from JJ Bean Coffee in Vancouver and a pair of gentlemen from Cafe Imports. We were introduced to Betty Leiva who is part of the QC team from Vides 58. She would travel with us and act as our all around guide and liaison to the farm, the company and the people of Guatemala. Al had realized early on that we wouldn’t be able to bring all of our gear, so we were forced to pack very light. We headed out onto the tarmac and took in the first sight of our tiny vessel this was a Twin Otter plane that sat 18 people and we were all shoved in tightly.
The flight was the nerviest I’ve been in a long time. I sat next to the propellers and as they wound themselves into a fervor, the noise was deafening and the pull was thumping - maybe that was my heart. I detected fumes which turned my stomach and felt the energy of everyone around me. No one was comfortable and we were all faking a calm that was belied by the looks on our faces. Once in the air, I focused on images on the ground until they disappeared. I looked for soccer fields or other recognizable features amongst the rolling hills which gave way to slightly steeper terrain. After ten minutes, I started to find myself more at ease and enjoying this passage. We landed smoothly in Huehetenango and were quickly checked out by military inspectors. The grand irony here is that we flew for 35 minutes and traveled over 250km. Had we made this drive, it would have taken over five hours.
Mercedes and Carlino from Vides 58 Coffee picked us up and we headed to Cafe San Martín for a quick bite. They presented us with delicious simple filter coffee (from a Curtis brewer) and a second breakfast of scrambled eggs with loroco and queso, and a side of papaya juice. Betty recommended the Xekas de Anis (also known as Pan Sheca) which is a Mayan sweet bread with ground anise. Right up my alley. The loroco was particularly pleasing to me; it is a small, unopened flower bud harvested from a vining plant with broad and flat, green leaves. It has a distinct, vegetal and earthy flavor, reminiscent of chard, artichoke, and asparagus mixed with a faint, floral sweetness. The buds also contain nutty, acidic, and woody undertones adding a tangy, pungent aftertaste. I thought this paired really well in eggs with queso blanco. I’ve come to find that loroco is available in Texas.
The drive to the Finca in La Libertad was an adventure all of its own merit. We passed through very rural and sometimes desolate areas, dotted with police check points and dusty little towns. Street dogs are commonplace and everyone calls them chuchos. I loved them all. Dirty roadsides and poor souls gave way to much cooler climes and gorgeous canyons.
The Pan American Highway is not accurately named, in my humble opinion, and it serves as a major artery connecting Western Guatemala to Mexico and then to the United States border. This is a hot bed area for passing commerce, migrants, and local farmers/townspeople just doing the best they can. There is an open air tension and I can’t help but wonder how it all works in symphony. The road is filled with decorated school buses called camionetas, tuk tuks, pick up trucks with cages acting as taxis and loads of motorcycles. Everyone standing up and holding on. Roads become increasingly more difficult to traverse. It is organized chaos as we pass through the highest range in Central America, the Sierra de los Cuchumontanes.
We turned off the “main road” onto a mountain pathway, passing through a peaje which is sort of like a guarded front gate. They need to know who is coming and going to protect the producers, so the driver is recorded at the tollgate even if they are known. We climbed up a ridge after ridge and followed the natural switchbacks as we continued towards a suddenly steep down turn which guided us through a stream.
There was a beautiful old cable bridge above us and we rounded the final corner to the entrance of the farm. We were warmly and loudly greeted by Kaiser the German Shepherd who was doing an excellent job of keeping us at bay from Don Arturo who was standing on a ramp waiting for us in a cowboy hat and a big smile. Vides 58 is the overarching name of the company that owns these fincas. They produce 714,000 lbs or 17 shipping containers annually over 175 hectares. It is now in the third generation, owned and run by Nayo Ovalle who is the grandson of the founder.
After a quick respite, Betty offered to have us taken up to the terraces at the highest local elevation to see some of the contributing small shareholders and lots who add to the depth of Vides 58’s offerings. We piled in the bed of Carlino’s pick up truck and held on for dear life like a teenagers on a roller coaster for the first time. We bounded over hills and surprised the locals who were not prepared to see a trio of güeros towering over the cab of the truck. We cruised vertically, wheels slipping occasionally on sanded berms, taking in the colorful homes.
The air cooled, a mist set in and it felt downright ethereal. Just when I thought we couldn’t go any higher, we did. We hopped out at Betty’s request just in front of a series of heirloom coffee plants and I picked my first fruit. Big, fat, dark skinned and bursting with slightly sweet-tart juice. I got goosebumps immediately and felt relieved to have finally engaged this long overdue sensation.
We descended south by foot, occasionally jaunting up a steep incline to pick fruit or get a better view. Chris found a random donkey and had a Disney-level interaction with it, trying to coax it with us. We found a large pedestal rock formation and the four of us (Chris, Bobby, Al, me) perched atop it as Betty snapped away.
I was simply in awe of our surroundings and respect for those who live there. After a decent spell, we jumped back in the truck and zoomed down the mountain, back to the Finca to witness the daily reception of coffee cherries. Reception and processing was a flurry of activity. The cortadores (day pickers)have been out all day picking ripe cherries and are now in queue outside of the gated wet mill. Don Arturo approaches and takes his seat at the entry of the hopper where the fruit is dumped. He has a paper with each picker's name on it; it resembles an old school time card but it tracks the date and weight of each submission. The average picker brings in 120-150 lbs a day.
Dinner was scrambled eggs with bell peppers, back beans, and tortillas aka Desayuno Chapín. This is a typical scenario where breakfast is served twice – not mad about it all! There was a wonderful hot sauce that Janet prepared from tiny local chiltepe peppers, onions and lime juice. The longer it sits, the better it gets. The chiltepe is a very small pebble shaped pepper. We sat around after dinner talking business and music while enjoying a few Gallo beers and a pour of Ron Zapaca Solera 23.
Tuesday 18 February
Woke up to loads of activity outside and people preparing for the work day around 5am. Convoy style cargo trucks came to clear out the bodega on the way to storage house. Some of the recently fermented coffee from the day before was washed down the canal and scooped out of tanks to sort and dry.
The patieros spread out the already drying coffee, some of which were on day three, four or five but require a total of 15 days to finish. The fancy naturals are agitated and turned on the Kenyan beds which slows down the drying to take about 30 days.
Other heirloom naturals are on the patio floor but they are actually in a state of pre-ferment: these coffees will be partially dried for 120 hours and then wet milled and washed before drying, similar to a honey process. This leaves the beans tinted with pink hues. We picked a few of them on the first day when we visited the terraces; the cherries were big and long and bursting. The skin was very dark red, almost purple.
We tasted them raw, plucked straight from the branch and they exploded with sweet cherry flavor. This selection is from a micro lot called El Penal. Note: we got to cup this a few days later in the Vides lab and unanimously chose this as the favorite. Chris’ notes for El Panal were: honey, floral, sugar cookie, wow, green apple, jasmine. We are absolutely excited for this coffee and will be contracting a limited amount for a special release later this year. (By the time you're reading this, it's probably already out)!
After breakfast, Rigoberto guided us to the top of the mountain on La Bolsa, through La Ventana rocks, and into El Sarral. It ended up being 3.5 hours of vertical and rugged terrain. We climbed about 120 meters and had a very hot and intense session of learning about coffee growing and harvesting. Rigo was particularly stressing the importance of pruning the trees by cutting at 80 cm after 2-3 years of regular harvesting. They have found better results with more coffee in less time this way. Previously their standard was pruning the trunk at 20 cm, requiring a much longer regrowth period. They use FertiCafé to fertilize along with spent cascara. The process is to clean the area of weeds, then fertilize, then fumigate. This is repeated twice.
Really awesome time getting into the nitty gritty of how the farm works and I was impressed with how much time Betty and Rigo took to share with us.
In the afternoon, we poked around the patieros as they brought down a large run of coffee from the fermentation tank, down the washing canal and into the washing pool. It’s being rinsed the entire time and flows from one section to the next through a series of locks that redirect the coffee. Heavy coffees are the most ripe so they flow to the left and end up remaining on higher ground. The lighter coffees are more buoyant so they pass down to the right to another sorting area and are considered second grade. There is another turnoff for even lighter coffees but that wasn’t in use with this harvest.
One of the patieros, Marbie, was in the tank with a flat shovel pushing all the coffee down the last lock to Elijio who would load a drain cart with coffee and pull it onto the patio for Aurelio to distribute like pancake batter from a dosing funnel. Heavy, wet yet efficient system.
This was backbreaking work and every so often they would pull out a twig or stick of leaves and toss it. They were paying attention and focused. The simplicity of the entire operation is fascinating and relies heavily on two important factors: access to water and gravity. The wet mill sits on the highest part of the farm and each steps flows downhill, even after the pergamino (coffee in parchment) is ready: the bodega is just down grade at the edge of the patio by the loading area.
That night we ate breakfast tacos again washed down with cold Gallo beers and I was able to facetime with two of my sons. I missed them.
I did feel very connected to the whole process on the farm. I really related to it. It reminded me of being a chef and always wanting to meet the producers like the time I spent with fish mongers in Sea Isle City and Barnegat Light, or the years spent going out to Wyebrook Farm and Green Meadow Farm. Farmers and producers are always the ones most intrinsically connected of course, and as one who makes a living from being a steward of those products it feels like basic, responsible behavior to pay respect to this source and herald their values.
I’d like to think they loved having us there but I am sure it’s difficult to arrange these visits and take so much time to show us around. Everyone was so kind but it’s a working farm and I was keenly aware of that and tried to be lean with the amount of time I was taking in talking to farm staff. On the other hand, this visit was to deepen our relationship and connect personally. That’s just an old fashioned rule of business.
Wednesday 19 February
Time is coming to an end at Finca La Bolsa. We had asked to visit a local school to connect with the community and take stock of any philanthropic opportunities.
We arrived at Escuela Canton Zacatonal with tables and chairs from the former school that was on the Finca (it closed because of Covid). It was the first day of school based on the harvest cycle and wet season (they go to school when it’s rainy // off during harvest) so some of the parents were there as well. The school is a small teal building with one room. There is one teacher for all 22 students which ranges from First grade to Sixth grade. Everyone was so gracious and welcoming. We unloaded the items and said hello. Chris and Al handed out stickers to all the kids who were ecstatic. A chucho (street dog) was hanging with the kids - looked like a husky - and one of the kids nicknamed him Lobo. The kids were timid and it was understandable! It’s not everyday three tall güeros and a Chinese fella show up. I connected with a boy named Diego who was 12 years old in the 5th grade. I showed him a picture of my 10 year old son Beau in a Glasgow Celtic kit and he said “He looks good.”
The mood was one of excitement and something broke in my heart. Maybe it was the poverty, maybe it was the seemed oblivion of their own poverty, maybe it was some guilt of my own privilege, maybe it was me just wanting more for them —> more hygiene, more clothes, more education, more resources. I just felt a pang inside. I knew I didn’t have all the facts and there was plenty more to be discovered here. Maybe that was the emotion; not knowing the answer.
We headed back to the finca just down the road. Chris and I wandered down the main entry and took turns walking over the river on a cable bridge fitted with wooden planks of questionable integrity. The view was killer and felt like something out of Indiana Jones.
It was time to pack up and go. The team at Finca La Bolsa gave us such a warm sending off. I thanked Don Arturo and Manolo for allowing us to visit and I apologized for disturbing the workers with all my questions. They said to the contrary: the boys love the attention and the chance to interact. They are proud of what they do.
The travel back to HueHue was ROUGH. Tons of traffic from road construction, broken down vehicles, general congestion. We were shoulder to shoulder in the back seat, drowsy from the warm sun and dust all around us. I couldn’t help but think that with all the conditions of dirt and dryness, it must turn into mud during the rainy season. After some looking on the internet later, that proved to be accurate. One more aspect of living here that adds a component of difficulty and builds the Guatemalan sturdiness of character.
We finally made it close to the airport and stopped in Malacatancito for a quick lunch of skirt steaks and the requisite ice cold Gallo beer. Fortunately for us the restaurant was showing the Champion’s League fixture between Real Madrid and Manchester City and we got to take in a good amount of it. Mbappe was magnificent even though Chris and I are Barcelona supporters.
The plane ride back was much better and actually fun. Knowing what we were up against made it feel even more like an adventure.
Back at our hotel, we reclaimed the luggage we couldn’t bring with us to HueHue (weight limitations). We were so wiped out and dusty so everyone took respite in their rooms for a few hours. We managed to collect ourselves at the hotel bar and grab a bite which was acceptable if not uninspired, but after loads of rice, beans and beer, a tequila on the rocks with lime hit the spot! Local football side Antigua was taking on Seattle Sounders in early rounds of the CONCACAF tournament so we availed ourselves to that match before turning in.
Thursday 20 February
Early morning we headed to the Vides 58 offices in Santa Catarina Pinula. We entered through a secluded road into a deeply wooded, almost rainforest segue which led to their building. It was light and airy and free flowing. We were welcomed so warmly by Betty and Doris along with Nayo himself. They do a lot of work there in the cupping lab and we got the full experience. They have three 500 gram sample roasters: two Probats and a San Franciscan. There were massive catalogues of coffees in coded bins on the walls and tables. It was beautiful. We proceeded to cup 12 coffees with Bobby and Betty. The process is involved and requires some experience to do properly and get the most out of it, but it is a great tool for checking the quality of coffees and discovering new ones. It starts with grinding the assorted coffees and portioning in 8oz cupping bowls, or glasses. With a clipboard in hand, notes are taken on the dry aroma and numbered in sequence. Water just off the boil is added to each cup and after a few minutes, the crust that forms is broken and removed using two spoons to skim off the grounds. The coffee is not strained at this point, rather left to develop and cool. Using a round soup style spoon and a slurping technique allows the taster to draw the coffee over their tongue for a full experience. While it’s tempting to consume all this coffee, spitooning is the common practice after dunking the spoon in fresh water in between coffees.
We got deep into it after a few rounds and tasted some truly amazing offerings. Here’s Chris’ notes on the one we liked the best: “Coffee #9 - honey, floral, sugar cookie, wow, green apple, jasmine”. This is ended up being a washed heirloom varietal from high up on the terraces of El Panal that we visited on the first day. I remember the fruit being very large and dark and exploding with sweet flavor when tasted raw. We agreed to purchase some for a special release later this year. (As mentioned earlier, this micro lot is available now on our online store)!
After a great conversation with Juan Jo, the resident agriculturist, we bid goodbye to our friends at the office and headed to the dry mill at Serben in Guatemala City. Traffic was a mess and it allowed us time to talk in the car with Betty. The present topic in the news was Trump's tariffs and border control and it flowed into our conversation. Betty was honest with us about the effects being seismic in countries like Guatemala. The border tightening up means less people going to work in the USA, which means less money coming home to them. A migrant can earn in a single month in America what typically can take a full year to earn in Guatemala, and usually sends a paycheck or two home every month. The irony is they pay taxes in the US that they will never reclaim. The fallout continues because the migrants who would cross north now have to find work in their home country. With a surplus of workers but a lack of jobs, unemployment creeps up and recession sets in. Much like the wealth divide in the States, the rich get richer and the poor stay poor.
We chatted about the American dream though and it’s draw. There really is a chance to make it big in the states by working hard and getting some lucky breaks. And let’s be real – white privilege helps that happen for many of us.
It left me feeling a little sad. Traveling always opens up the eyes of those willing to see. I can’t fix these problems in a third world country but I can listen and observe. Our role is to develop better relationships with these importers, farmers and brokers in country. If we support them, we support their economy and by direct result → their families.
We arrived at the mill guarded by gates and security. Entering the main building brings you to pallets of cafe oro in jute bags in the receiving area which are cut open and dumped into a chamber that vacuums the coffee through an impressive outlay of well organized, color coded tubing. The coffee is destoned twice and sifted before traveling to the Density Metric Sorter Tables. A great explanation here from Sweet Maria's : “A key step in preparing green coffee for export, density sorting is a step at the dry mill where coffee is run across a density table. Less dense seeds tend to have poor cup character. This is a step where coffee is run across a density table.
Tilted at an angle, the table vibrates and dense coffee beans travel to the TOP or the highest side of the table, whereas less dense seeds go to the LOWER angle of the table. Less dense seeds are either outright defects, or tend to have poor cup character because they are damaged, or underdeveloped. The density table is often called an Oliver table after one of the older manufacturers.” Full on vibrations (and a pretty high decibel level) result in super consistent selections of coffee ready to be bagged and headed for distribution.
One of the coolest aspects of this visit was walking in on the warehouse fellas playing a game of soccer in a large empty area yet they managed to have a decent goal made of pvc and proper netting. I wish we could have scrimmaged…….
We departed the mill and headed for an awesome lunch at the Patio San Ramón, a delightful and colorful rooftop restaurant which offered the best meal of the trip. It was our final time all together with Betty and Doris, so it did feel sorta celebratory. Chris maintained his affinity for Gallo cerveza while I opted for punchy Carajuillo, a cocktail made from coffee, sweet condensed milk and coffee liquor.
We split Aquachiles de Camarón (raw shrimp in lime juice and chiles), Croquetas de Rodalo y Yuca (fish and yucca croquettes), and a Bocadillo Cubáno (pressed ham and cheese sandwich).
We talked about the values of specialty coffee and working together and thanked our friends at Sucafina and Vides 58 for their generosity. Al was really a great guide and incredibly knowledgeable. He’s worked in so many different parts of the business and has traveled the world over. He has great, detailed stories and seems to know everyone from Colectivo Coffee to the Peace Corps. His experience on the ground in Guatemala kept us safe, kept us moving on time, and kept us fed! Looking forward to linking back up with this whole team at SCA Expo in late April. Bobby was truly a gem to have with us as well. We shared a lot of similarities in our businesses and he provided great experience and insight given that they are bigger than Rival Bros. and has been through some of our current challenges. He has a quiet confidence balanced with eternal humility. He’s a young father and spoke often of his family. His only real flaw in my eyes is supporting the Arsenal Football Club but I guess we all endure some form of tragic character.
With no more work in front of us, we headed to buy souvenirs at the Mercado de Artisanos where we saw a wide array of handmade Guatemalan goods. Soccer jerseys were hard to come by but we made out with woven bags, wooden figurines that reminded me of Melissa and the boys, a small jade rhino (inside joke with my kids, haha). Melissa was particularly insistent that I bring back a few muñecas de quitapeñas, or worry dolls, which children put under their pillows to take away worry and fear. We have been gifted a few from traveling friends over the years and she really quite enjoys their character. I have them on a small ledge in our kitchen to keep it a worry-free space. I bought 24 of them.
Dinner that night was in a hip area of town called 4° Norte at the brewery Cerveceria 14. The beers were fantastic but the food was dicey if I’m being honest. It was the only time on this trip that I didn’t feel ok after eating. We had light banter and told jokes. Chris is always great in these instances and just when I’m ready to lay low and go a little recluse, he prohibits me from indulging in that behavior by acting like the eternal 17 year old skateboard hero that he is.
Friday 21 February
Out the door at 445am for the airport which was surprisingly full of people. Fortunately we cruised right through in 20 minutes. Landed in Miami and went through customs which took forever in such a busy hub. With hours to kill, we did the only logical thing and headed back to La Carreta for churrasco with yellow rice and a couple of mojitos. Fact check, Chris opted for ropa vieja. We passed a mural that he remembered from his last time in the airport which was a collection of flowers forming the words Peace & Love. I snapped a pic of him in front of it and it felt like the right way to sum it all up.
The world is small the more you get to see of it and therefore feels like more of being one place than a group of organizations and governments with opposing monies and politics. It felt great to head somewhere new and so different. It felt great to meet these awesome, inspiring, hard working people who were so grateful that we appreciate their humble endeavors. It’s our duty to be a champion of the coffee they grow.
Viva Guatemala. Viva Chapínes.
- J
illustrated by Eleanor Leon
