Guatemala Huehuetenango

Guatemala La Morena program

In 2016, Genuine Origin created the La Morena program to give female coffee growers access to the global supply chain and to address gender inequality in coffee farming. The program started off small; they worked with four IWCA members to import 32 boxes of green coffee beans. It was a micro-lot by all accounts, but roasters were receptive, and the small lot quickly stocked out. The growers enjoyed success from that introduction to the market and their coffees became highly sought after.

Fast forward to 2023: the specialty coffee sourcing team in Guatemala worked with over 800 women farmers spanning the coffee-growing regions of Huehuetenango and Baja Verapaz. What started as a micro-lot of about 2,000 lbs of coffee has blossomed into a platform that strongly addresses gender inequality in coffee. And roasters are thirsty for more!

About Huehuetenango coffee

• Temperature: 68–70°F
• Rainfall: 48–56 in
• Humidity: 70–80%
• Altitude: 5,000–6,500 ft
• In the cup: intense acidity, full body, winey notes

Huehuetenango coffee is grown at heights up to 6,500 feet (2,000 masl) in dry and frost-free conditions. By necessity, farmers in this highly remote area often set up their own mills along the many rivers to process their coffee.

The Guatemala origin

Guatemala owes its distinctive, mountainous topography, lush rain forests, biodiversity and its coffee to massive volcanic activity. Volcanic peaks and mountains roll across the country and carve out Guatemala’s unique coffee-growing regions. The mountain ranges help to create the country’s unique micro-climates. Together with the rich soil left behind in the wake of immense volcanic activity, Guatemala has the ideal conditions for coffee production.