We initiated our visit in the Valley of Panchoy (Antigua). The weather and the conditions were more than just perfect for harvesting the ripe cherries at finca Bella Vista and BELLA CARMONA, both belonging to the third generation of the Zelaya family. The cool temperatures at night and the warm sunlight create a perfect microclimate to produce fine coffee. The first pickings started in mid January, and we can see that it is the peak of the harvest season at this time. Red cherries are being delivered to the farm’s own beneficio for wet processing and drying. The loads of cherries start to arrive at mid-morning, throughout late into the evening.

The harvested coffee is promptly wet processed, fermented in the concrete tanks, washed and set on the patios for drying. Once the coffee is dry, reaching an ideal moisture content, it is bagged and stored on ventilated warehouses to “rest”. It will be 45 to 60 days before we see our first deliveries of this special coffee.

We continued our visit by driving through Escuintla towards the west shore of Santiago de Atitlan. On the shores of the lake the weather has been ideal  for coffee production. Afternoon showers and warm sunlight give these predominantly Bourbon cherries an opportunity of maturing slowly. We started our visit at San Lucas Toliman where we spent the night. Next morning we boarded a “panga” to reach other distant shores of this deep blue lake.

Our first  meeting was with the cooperative at San Pedro La Laguna, who produce our ATITLAN SAN PEDRO. It was enlightning to see their efforts in striving for quality. Their beneficio is very well organized and conveniently designed for the amount of coffee produced by these cooperatives. The concrete patio was carpeted by golden parchment being dried by the warm sun and the fresh breeze from the lake.

We moved along to a different shore to visit another cooperative Asociacion Maya de Oro, on the foothills of Cerro de Oro (Mount of Gold) where we met with Luciano the head of this cooperative. Most of the producers affiliated with this cooperative did not speak Spanish, so we needed the assistance of a translator into their native dialect Sutuil. Even though the infrastructure to process coffee is more rudimentary than others in Guatemala, we were impressed by their drive to produce and select the best quality coffee, in spite of the current crisis. It is here that a direct relationship between the exporter Counisa and these cooperatives is crucial to produce and process fine coffee. Otherwise their luck would lay in the hands of the “coyotes” which is not very rewarding.

A last visit to a third cooperative in Tzanpetey (in Suitil dialect meaning "from the töp") located high in the outskirts of Volcan Toliman at 6,200 ft, finalized our trip to this gifted part of the country. In some areas of Atitlan we noticed pockets of plantations which have been abandoned. In others we saw healthy plantations owned by producers who are highly motivated to produce better quality coffee.

We were lucky enough to include the fertile Fraijanes plateau in our schedule. A completely different microclimate to the Antigua or Atitlan regions. From this region one of the single estates that “were picked among the best on the table” was SANTA ANA, a single estate coffee produced by Mr. Axel De Leon, an individual who falls under the category of highly motivated to produce better coffee. His strive is reflected in the healthy pruned shaded  plantations of his farm,  his yields, and the quality of the cup on the table!

Throughout this 600 kilometer trip covering these coffee growing regions, the common frantic activity was:  picking cherries, processing, washing, drying, sorting, bargaining... each one at its own pace and striving for a cent higher... Some, eager to sell to earn their daily wage or pay debts, others waiting for better prices.. some selling their crop at prevailing market prices, others lucky enough to receive a premium rewarding them for their efforts in producing better quality coffee!