Guatemala Yinta Witz

Catarina is a first generation coffee farmer who lives with her children in the town of Concepcion Huista. She is deeply involved in every aspect of running her farm and producing coffee, which is important for the family while her husband is working as a migrant laborer. They started the farm in 2013, and then sowed their first coffee seedlings two years after that. She cares for the coffee plants as she does for her beloved flowers around her home - with incredible care and attention so that the plants can thrive. 

Catarina is part of the cooperative El Sendero which provides coffee producers support and information around Concepcion Huista in Huehuetenango region. The cooperative was formed in 2016 and it has 196 coffee producing members, of which 62 are women and 134 are men. The cooperative focuses on gender equality among coffee producers and especially supports young coffee producers. 

“The name of this farm, Yinta Witz, means “”front of the mountain”” in the local Popti Mayan language, due to the name of a nearby location that is in front of a mountain.

The coffee cherries are depulped on average about 5 hours after they are picked. Catarina then allows the depulped coffee to dry ferment for 32 hours; she chose this dry method and the relatively long and slow fermentation time due to the relatively cool ambient temperatures around her home wet mill. 

After the fermentation is complete, the family then washes the coffee thoroughly to remove the mucilage from the parchment. The parchment coffee is moved to the patio where it lies in direct sunlight for 7 hours per day for 6 days. The coffee is moved every hour in order to ensure thorough and even drying.

We absolutely love the way this exceptional coffee expresses itself with its vibrant character and delightful sweetness in the cup, truly showcasing the remarkable and beautiful flavours that are indicative of the high-quality coffees sourced from the renowned Huehuetenango region.