Guatemala Pena Roja

Huehuetenango is a municipality in the western highlands of Guatemala, running up to the border with Mexico and encompassing a lot of microclimates across its hills and valleys. Pena Roja, or red rock, lies in the foothills of Pena Blanca which peaks at 3520masl, in the Chaloum growing region .

Cooperativa Agricola Integral Peña Roja are a smaller co-op that work with a larger union of cooperatives, Fedecocagua, to help market and sell their coffee abroad. In return, they get extra investment and support as well as access to services such as agronomists that work directly with the union. In this manor they can maintain the traceability and character of their coffee and share the expertise that larger groups have access to as well as increase their network for best practices and issues fighting diseases. The co-op also provide a free nursery for children under eight in their community.

The Manager of the cooperative is Anacelto Martinez and his son, Mynor, is the head agronomist. From a start of 22 people, the cooperative now encompasses 67 men and 14 women producers.

Coffee on the 81 smallholders’ farms is picked by hand, washed and dried on patios under the sun; often those patios are actually the rooves of houses perching on the slopes and hillsides. Washed here is actually done with very little water, an initial floating stage is as expected, but the beans are commonly ten pulped wet but the fermentation stage subsequent is dry. The beans are then channeled through the water flumes to the drying beds. The patios are being bolstered with the addition of some raised beds and parabolic dryers, new for 2022 harvest. These have been provided through membership of Fedecocagua and in parnership with an American NGO.