Team notes: fizzy tamarind, red berries, toffee apple

COUNTRY: Mexico

REGION: Colombia de Guadalupe, Guerrero

PRODUCERS: Familia Carranza Mejía

VARIETY: Typica, Mundo Novo, Costa Rica, Castillo

ALTITUDE: 1400-1450 masl

PROCESS: Anaerobic Natural

On the cupping table, this coffee stood out as something special. The work Don Gaudencio and Doña Francisca are doing is exemplary of the quality that is being achieved in this remote part of the region.

Extended fermentations like this are still unusual in the area, but this clean, sparkling coffee is demonstrative of the skill and expertise that exists here. Supporting supply chains which provide market access to producers is crucial, and we, as coffee buyers and consumers, must not be deterred by an economic and social context which contribute to a higher price for the raw product. 

A highlight of our week in Guerrero would undoubtedly be lunch on the farm here. Often at origin, you’re struck by the incredible generosity of those who occupy the least financially secure position in the supply chain, which is in stark contrast to the mobility of buyers who have travelled across the globe to visit these places. The lunch was an incredibly diverse and tasty spread, made entirely of produce from the land, with Francisca up before anyone else that day, to begin the meal’s preparation. Experiences like this are prime examples of hospitality across the supply chain. It’s not just an end consumer experience, it begins right at the coffee's source.