The components of this blend have been grown by farmers in Kenya and Guatemala. Over 850 smallholder farmers supply the Karimikui Factory in Kenya, each farming less than 2 hectares. On the other hand, Finca El Tambor is a 150 hectare farm in Guatemala owned by a single farmer, Victor Calderon.
Expect flavours of blackcurrant, cinnamon and a brown sugar sweetness.
The components in our current Latitude Espresso come from Guatemala and Kenya. Here we share their stories.
GUATEMALA
Victor Calderon represents the 5th generation of coffee farmers from a family that has been in coffee for more than 100 years; El Tambor, however, is a relatively new addition to the rich mosaic of farms dotting this region of Guatemala, just outside of Guatemala City.
Victor manages the farm with 8 people who are in charge of their own specific areas and duties. All employees have permanent residence on the farm, and 10% of the farm is given over to the workers to produce their own vegetables. Nearly half the farm has been left under forest, which is set aside entirely as conservation area. In addition to the farm’s permanent workers, approximately 25 seasonal pickers are employed for the harvest.
KENYA
In Kirinyaga County, on the southern slopes of Mt. Kenya, the Rungeto Farmer Cooperative Society (FCS) has been running their operations since 1997. Currently, the FCS represents 850 smallholder farmers, assisting them with processing in addition to educating them about animal husbandry, and other agricultural practices beneficial to coffee production.
HARVESTING & PROCESSING
All coffee is picked and processed in microlots of around 22 bags of pergamino, selected according to location on the farm with attention to varietals making up the lots. Despite the farm’s size, Victor continues to process all of the farm’s coffee using a small pulper with a diesel motor. He points out that not only is this more energy efficient than larger pulpers, it is also more economical: $20 for diesel gets them through a full half of the harvest.
HARVESTING & PROCESSING
During the harvest, farmers will gather their cherries and deliver them to the FCS collection point and mill. The cherries are then sorted to remove any under or overripe cherries, and then pulped to peel away the external fruit. This is typically done with a machine. The coffee is then fermented in cement tanks overnight to break down the remaining mucilage. Afterwards, the coffee is washed with the local Nyamindi River water and rushed through channels to clean away any remaining debris and mucilage. Lastly, the coffee is evenly dispersed on raised beds and dried in the open sun until the ideal moisture content is reached. This can take 7 – 15 days.
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