Guatemala, Arlam Aguirre

Guatemala, Arlam Aguirre

Farmer: Alarm Aguirre

Region: Agua Dulce, Huehuetenango

Processing: Washed

Varietals: Bourbon and Caturra 

Flavour Notes: Red pit fruit, vanilla cream, soft florals, cacao

Arlam Aguirre is a member of a very special co-operative of smallholders that  works collectively to farm more ecologically, improve coffee quality and access final buyers. Shared Source are the first importers to purchase directly from the group. ASIAST: Asociación Integral Agrícola Sostenible Toneca – Toneca is a colloquial adjective for San Antonio Huista where the co-op has its headquarters. They have featured in news articles as being a success case – the first co-operative of the region to sell micro-lots directly to the final buyer.

ASIAST

Although still using conventional inputs (albeit in very small quantities comparatively) the ecological processes the group is implementing on every farm are nothing short of revolutionary. This is a drought-prone area that is very isolated, where most farms are only accessible by foot and services are very restricted. The group sees these practices as the only way to combat climate change, which has devastated production in recent years. Some practices that have been implemented are t,erracing and planting in contour lines to capture water and avoid soil erosion; planting of shrubs in between rows of coffee plants to retain water; high percentage of shade cover; planting native shade trees; composting system and organic fertilization; and a community-run recycling program.

PROCESSING

Arlam and Yoesmi practice traditional tank fermentation twelve hours with fresh water followed by several hours without water and washed in channels for better sorting. The fully washed parchment coffee is patio-dried. This year, they added a roof to their fermentation tank to make sure that fermentations can stay cool- this allowed them to manage slightly longer fermentation times, which can improve coffee quality. Though they’ve traditionally always de-pulped with a steady stream of water, this year they also experimented with de-pulping without water. To have a slow, even drying process, they dry parchment in slightly thicker piles that they rake and rotate regularly, to keep it from being harshly affected by the sun.