Overview:

The purpose of our partnership is to support the community of indigenous coffee farmers in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala. To do this, our farmers are paid a price that significantly exceeds traditional Fairtrade prices. This enables our partners to not only reinvest in their businesses, but to also provide for their families.   

 

On average, for every 300 lbs of coffee beans sold, we are able to incorporate another family into the cycle of mutual empowerment. For the 2019-2020 school year, the volume of beans we purchased helped support 14 families. 

  

Our partners provide us with shade grown, arabica, and strictly hard bean coffee. Unlike traditional sun-grown coffee, shade grown beans require minimal irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides, preventing farm erosion. Next the farmers conduct wet method coffee processing to remove the pulp, and then they get dried in the sun. As for the flavor profile, our coffee has notes of blueberry, brown sugar, citrus, cocoa, and cream. The high altitude at which our hard bean coffee is grown is what creates such a complex profile. Twice a year, our team travels to Guatemala to consult with the farmers, experience the coffee farming process, and conduct field research, making this a mutually beneficial partnership.

 

We purchase the beans green and then roast and package in our colleges coffee lab. To learn more, please navigate to the Coffee Lab page https://northcentralcoffeelab.com or visit our store https://northcentralcoffeelab.com/collections/all

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