Guatemala | Antonio Tomás

Region: San Antonio Huista, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Process: Washed
Variety: Caturra & Bourbon
Altitude: 1,550 masl
We Taste: Strawberry, Candy Apple, Wildflower Honey

Antonio is a member of a group of smallholder producers, called ASIAST, who are working collectively to farm more ecologically, improve quality, and increase their market access to buyers. Antonio's coffee has everything we love about Guatemalan coffees and those from Huehuetenango in particular. This is our second year purchasing his coffee, and this year we more than doubled our purchase volume. In the cup we're finding red fruits like strawberry, candy apple, cherry, and plum with a deep honey and maple sweetness and a subtle rosewater like floral quality. 

Antonio has been moving forward with steps towards more organic farm management, including decomposing coffee pulp to create a nutrient-rich compost to return to the soils and purchasing organic (rather than chemical) fertilizers. He's avoiding the use of herbicides and using a machete to cut back weeds and has been pleased with the results. Antonio is also focusing on shade management this year as way to maintain cooler temperatures and improve quality. All of these things help keep the soil healthy, resilient, and less reliant on further inputs. As a group, the producers of ASIAST are using practices such as contour planting, terracing, and planting shrubs between rows to avoid erosion and capture and retain water to combat drought.

Transitioning to organic methods is a slow process as soil needs time to recover and adjust. Rapid and drastic changes risks crop failure. Though the transition is labor intensive, it can give producers more autonomy and protection as they aren't dependent on chemical inputs with ever increasing costs and ultimately leaves them with more robust and disease resistant trees. 

Our Total Cost: coming soon

Packaging, labor, and weight loss: coming soon
Green Price: $6.63/lb
FOB Price:  farmgate + tranpsort to mill paid for by Shared Source
Farm Gate Price: 2,075 quetzales per quintal (100 pounds of parchment)

Importer: Shared Source

*We roast on Tuesdays and ship the following day; order deadline is 7:00 am Tuesday morning; local pick-up orders will be ready on Fridays after roasting