Our second Guatemalan release of the season comes from Eddy Macdonald Lopez Lopez and his farm La Gardenia situated high in the mountains of the famous Huehuetenango region (Huehue). At the heart of the farm’s operations is the focus on preservation of the pristine natural environment. Eddy seeks to maintain a diversity of tree, animal and bird species, as well as ensuring that there is no contamination of nearby sources of spring water from coffee production. Quetzals, the famously beautiful and rare Guatemalan national bird, has even been spotted on the farm. La Gardenia has sought various environmental certifications such as Rainforest Alliance to verify its mission to conserve the delicate ecosystems of Huehuetenango.

In addition to sustainability, coffee quality is a key priority for Eddy and his family. The farm works with exotic varieties and different processes in order to showcase the unique potential of the region’s coffee. By carefully monitoring every stage of the process, Finca Gardenia is able to produce outstanding quality coffees. This lot is something new to us, a naturally processed Marsellesa variety and it forms part of the Arcoiris range from importer Primavera:

"Every year, we taste a few coffees that are really wild: fruity, sweet, and unabashedly unique. Sometimes these are washed lots, other times they can be honeys or naturals. Sometimes they are the result of an extra-long fermentation before being washed, or the result of fermenting honeys in a sack before depulping, and each one has a different story."

Huehuetenango is located in the west of Guatemala, on the border with Mexico, and trade across the border thrives. Huehuetenango was the ancient center of the Mam people, and their capital Zaculeu is preserved in the city; Popti speakers can also be found here. After defeating the Mam at Zaculeu, Spanish invaders forced many indigenous people to work in mines and on plantations in this region. 

Huehue is very remote and the roads in the region can be difficult; before flights from the city, reaching farms in this area used to take 8-10 hours of bumpy driving in the high mountains. But the altitude of this region, combined with the hot dry winds that blow over from Mexico’s Tehuantepec Plain, create excellent conditions for quality coffee here. Because of the altitudes and remoteness of the region, most farmers process their coffee at home rather than at a central wet mill. 

We were very fortunate to visit some of Primavera's producer partners in Guatemala in 2024 including Huehue. Witnessing their in-country operations first-hand including collection stations (bodegas) and the dry-mill demonstrated their commitment to quality and support of the farmers they work with.