Finca Concepcion Pixcayá was founded in 1926 by Sr. Carlos Mirón Armas and Sra. Maria Muñoz de Mirón. The farm’s current owner, Sr. Manuel Zaghi Mirón is the fourth generation of his family to work this land, and he maintains the farm in pristine condition with the help of his mother, Maria Mirón de Zaghi.

Before being bought by the Mirón Muñoz family, the farm was owned by the Catholic Church. At that time, there was a big Spanish-style house built by the former bishops who ran the place, but it was, sadly, completely destroyed in the 1976 Guatemala earthquake. The family has erected a large and beautiful home on the property in its place, which is currently used not only as the family home but also as a (part-time)hotel and restaurant, serving employees of and visitors to the nearby cement factory. The farm keeps the name of the original location, and ‘Concepción’ contains reference to the convent which once stood here.

Although not far from Guatemala City, as the crow flies, the drive up to the farm follows dusty, rough roads through a multitude of villages. The farm itself is mid-sized, covering around 150hectares; however, the area under coffee only extends across just over 22 hectares at a prime coffee-growing altitude of 1,900 metres on average. The rest of the land is devoted to macadamia nut farming, which is the farm’s primary agricultural product and covers just over 51 hectares. The rest of the land is kept under forest cover as a conservation area. The combination of soil, climate and altitude make for amazing coffee producing land, as evidenced by the farm’s performance at the Guatemala Cup of Excellence competition, in which they have placed no fewer than four times!

Various coffee varieties have been trialled at Concepción, Pixcayá over the years, but ultimately Manuel and his forefathers concluded that the traditional Bourbon variety performed the best with regards to cup quality. Giving the disease-susceptible variety the attention it deserves is one reason the family has limited the land that they plant under coffee. The farm is replanted from specially selected seeds from the best coffee trees within the farmand each tree is given exacting attention.

In addition to the painstaking work on coffee, much of the work on the farm is done with an eye towards environmental responsibility. The farm avoids using herbicides and makes its own organic fertiliser, prepared from macadamia parchment, corn cane and other waste products from the farm’s agricultural activities. All water used in processing during the harvest season is reused and then, at the end of the day, deposited in special tanks to filter out the solids, which are then used in composting. Water conservation is a priority, and the farm has five big tanks to collect rainwater for use in processing during the harvest season (which falls during the dry season in the region). The farm has recently undertaken bee cultivation on a protected part of the farm for environmental reasons, and reforestation activities have been a big focus for Manuel since he took over ownership. In fact, in 2003, the farm was nominated by the FAO as the best farm reforestation project in Guatemala.

The farm, in total, hires 40 people year round to oversee all agricultural activities. Manuel employs an engineer specialized in silviculture to manage the forest land and another for avocados and macadamia. However, Manuelwill only entrust himself in overseeing all coffee-related activities.

During the peak of the harvest, the farm brings in an additional 40 to 60 local villagers to help with picking. After being selectively hand-harvested, coffee is delivered to the mill on the same day it is picked. All coffee is then sorted to remove debris and under ripe cherries before pulping. The ripe cherries are then dry pulped, and what little water is used is circulated to be used for more than one batch per day. At the end of the day, the water is delivered to a separate pond in order to prevent water contamination. The pulped coffee is deposited in fermentation tanks and fermented for 24 to 36 hours depending on the weather and ambient temperature. After this, the coffee is fully washed in clean water and delivered to be dried on the farm’s patios. Drying time can be as little as 4 days, but only if the weather is sunny and warm (which is rare). More frequently the coffee is dried for 5-8 days, being turned regularly so as to ensure even drying.

The coffee, when it reaches optimal humidity, is rested and then delivered to the renowned Servex Mill to be dry milled and colour sorted.

In future, the family has the goal of establishing a section of the farm for commercial flower production. Doña Maria is a keen gardener and grows a multitude of orchids and other flowers in the garden around the house. Manuel’s two sons are currently studying agriculture at University, and he hopes that they will both return to help run the farm, perhaps helping this new venture get off the ground. Of course, coffee will always be central to the farm’s strategy and the farm’s heritage for generations to come.

Finca Concepcion Pixcayá

Roasting seasonal specialty coffee, established in 2016, we are born and based in Leith. Our flagship cafe is at Custom Lane, Customs Wharf, Leith.

Williams & Johnson Coffee Co.

VARIETALS: 100% caturra
OWNER: Pablo Emilio Montoya, Finca La Esperanza

In January 2019 Todd Johnson (co-founder at W&J) traveled in Antioquia, visiting many farms, mills and co-ops.. The flavour profile of the area is driven by bright berry flavours often with deep dark stone fruit flavours as well, like biting into a ripe syrupy and sticky plum. Out of thirty plus coffees (in a cupping) one micro lot from farmer Pablo Emilio Montoya in Urrao really popped. It was Todd’s favorite and the favorite in the room. It’s unrivaled cup clarity and vibrant berry fruit flavour is ridiculously delicious. We secured this whole microlot of around 300kg in 2019 and we are so excited to have it back in store this year!!

Don Pablo, always with his black hat, is a crucial member of the community in Pavón and was the originator of the Grupo Pavón collective of specialty coffee producers. He is one of the main leaders of the group and has long been one of the strongest voices in insisting on a specialty coffee focus as a means of attaining sustainability. Pablo and his neighbours were heavily inspired by Jose Arcadio of Finca la Falda, two-time winner of Cup of Excellence and, coincidentally, also from Urrao. Though working smaller farms than La Falda (which is still small, at approximately 10 hectares), Pablo convinced the group that if they decided to work together they just might be able to improve their coffee quality so that they could access the speciality market. They succeeded! In 2014 the group achieved 3rd place in Colombia´s COE, under the name of Pablo Emilio Montoya, and 2 Top 60 positions in the local Best Cup of Antioquia Competition. It was at this point that they came to the attention of Pergamino, who wanted to support their efforts by helping them to achieve export sales on a wider scale. Pablo still lives with his wife and son at La Esperanza, and has now given his son a part of the land to manage and harvest. He continues to be very committed to the best agricultural and post harvest practices, however, so as to ensure the quality of his coffee. Like many producers in the area, Pablo uses a form of ‘extended fermentation’ to process his coffee. Over the course of three days, each day’s pulped cherries are added to a fermentation tank with the previous days’ pickings. In this method of ‘extended’ fermentation, each consecutive batch raises the ph level (i.e. makes more alkaline) of the fermentation tank, permitting longer fermentation times that will produce a fruit-forward cup but without the acetic acid produced by bacteria at a low ph. In this way, the producer is able to maintain the correct ph level and avoid very low ph levels during processing that can lead to over-fermentation and vinegary qualities. In addition to giving more control over ph levels also gives more control over yeast and bacteria activity. Interestingly, the practice is common with small farmers throughout Antioquia and Huila, who often have two or three day fermentation as their farms are so small that one day’s picking is often not sufficient to make up an entire lot. Don Pablo works with these traditional methods, but puts extra attention into making sure every step is perfectly executed. Pablo is a member of Coocafisa (Coop Salgar), one of the largest cooperatives in Antioquia. Coocafisa is the only cooperative with a presence in Urrao, a remote municipality of Antioquia that was hard hit by FARC violence in the 1990s due to its remote location and lack of infrastructure. While the region is known for agriculture, it is less identified with coffee, and because of the remote location and the violence, the area has been slow to develop the necessary infrastructure for specialty production. With the steps towards normalisation between FARC and the Colombian Government, however, some small scale producers in the region have seized the opportunity and begun to make the most of their location – which presents the perfect conditions for high quality coffee. The group has recently begun working with the Pergamino team on various quality improvement programs. High quality lots are cupped and graded by the Pergamino team (who also provide quality assessment training within the cooperative). Not only has Pergamino committed to monthly visits to the cooperative in order to cup and advise on quality, they have committed to purchasing all coffee produced by the group that cups at 84+ points. For this coffee, the producers receive and exceptionally high price that covers cost of production along with reinvestment in the cooperative itself and includes a specialty coffee premium once the purchased lot has been sold. Very high scoring lots, such as this one, are separated out as a microlot and are assured of being marketed under the producer’s own name. Lots such as this one also receive a very high premium, far above local market prices.

Pablo Emilio Montoya

VARIETALS: Caturra & Catuai
OWNER: Luis Valdes

Located near the town of San Cristóbal Verapaz, in the cool, rainy reaches of Cobán, Guatemala, Finca San Isabel is situated on 300 acres of high, but relatively level, fertile land.Finca San Isabel was first acquired by Luis Valdes II’s great-grandfather in 1875, when the land was granted to the Valdés family by Guatemala's President; however, the farm was passed out of the hands of the family when it was inherited by a nephew who sold it to a third party. It took time for the farm to return to the Valdés family, who took charge again in 1960 when Luis Valdes I purchased it, bringing it back into the family. He started the coffee plantation in 1965.

Don Luis and his son -also named Luis (nicknamed ‘Wicho’) -manage the farm as general and agricultural manager, respectively. Now Luis IV (5 years old), Wicho’s son and Luis’ grandchild, spends his school holidays at the farm, much as his father did when he was young. 

When Don Luis first planted the farm out in Bourbon, Caturra and Catuai, Cobán didn’t necessarily have a reputation for high-quality coffee, due in part to the fact that coffee from the region must often be mechanically dried because of the humid climate. Don Luis and Wicho, however, knew that the region had more to offer. By placing their attention on improved cultivation techniques and perfecting their drying practices, they succeeded transforming the quality of their coffee over the course of the last decade, even succeeding in placing Guatemala’s Cup of Excellence twice! 

Wicho’s background in agronomy, combined with his passion for coffee farming, has led him to implement experimental practices that are paying off, as well, in the battle against coffee leaf rust. The farm’s innovative pruning schedule, which took some 15 years of experimentation to develop, has succeeded in greatly reducing the severity of rust’s impact on the plantation. Plants are pruned according to a five row/five year cycle that is further fine-tuned according to each plant’s need for aeration and light.This helps to minimize applications of chemical fertilizers and pest control–in some cases, reduced by half of what their neighbours have to apply -by reducing excess humidity and fungal diseases.Furthermore, frequent application of lombricompost (mostly the by-products of wet-processing) has enabled them to reduce their applications of chemical fertilisers by more than 15%.

Although almost 80% of the farm is planted out in Caturra, the farm is also experimenting with new varieties, such as Pache.Currently, Santa Isabel plants their nursery under shade using polyurethane bags starting in May and continuing through August.Young plants are planted 15 months later.

Soil test analyses are completed throughout the farm to promote effective fertilisation and pest control. Santa Isabel also has a weather station (funded by ANACAFE) on the farm, which helps to effectively schedule the application of fertilizers and, in general, helps Wicho manage the farm more efficiently.

The annual precipitation at Santa Isabel is around 3,500mm, with regular rainfall between nine and ten months of the year. Constant rain (much of it gentle drizzle) means that flowering is very staggered, with 8-9 flowerings per year. Due to this prolonged flowering season, coffee ripens at different stages, which means that up to 10 passes (with breaks of up to 14 days between passes) are needed to ensure that only the very ripest cherries are selected. For 2015, picking started on the 15th of November and will continue through until the end of March. 

After harvesting, the red cherries are taken to the farm's receiving tanks by truck or-if at walking distance -by foot. They are then mechanically pulped. Coffee is fermented for up to 48 hours and is covered at night to maintain constant temperatures. After fermentation, the coffee is washed and then soaked in clean water for 24 hours to remove any traces of mucilage before being dried. 

All coffee at Finca Isabel is dried for at least one day on the patios –though full patio drying is only possible towards the end of the harvest, when the risk of rain is reduced. Usually, after spending one day on the patio, the coffee is stored overnight in wooden boxes before being moved to the greenhouse to dry between 15 and 30 days, or until a minimum of 30% humidity is reached. Much of the coffee is then finished in guardiolas according to a very strict and controlled drying schedule. Coffee is rotated in these mechanical dryers at no more than 40°C and is rested between dryings to stabilise humidity. Once the parchment coffee reaches a constant15% humidity, it is rested for at least 21 days in the warehouse before being delivered to the dry mill for milling. 

Santa Isabel trains and employees 40 permanent workers year-around; up to 500 seasonal labourers are brought in for the coffee harvest. Wicho has commented that although many farms in the region find it increasingly difficult to secure labour for the entirety of the harvest, Santa Isabel has a stable and reliable work force, despite their reputation for being very demanding with regards to selective picking. In addition to paying fairly, a picker at Santa Isabel can harvest up to 160 pounds of cherry a day, which means many of the same workers come back year after year.

Finca Santa Isabel

Dos Santos Regalito

VARIETALS: Caturra & Colombia
OWNER: Hugo Sepulveda, Finca La Primavera
 
Finca La Primavera is very small even by local standards at only 1.5 hectares. This has meant that Hugo has had to work extra hard throughout his life to make the farm as productive as possible. This hasn’t stopped him from smiling, however! Don Hugo receives you with a smile every single time you visit, and that smile tends never to fade away throughout your stay at la Primavera. This is now the second year we have sourced coffee from Hugo Sepulveda. We have a special fondness to the coffee and farmers from the region Urrao after Todd visited in January 2019 and was struck by the beauty of the landscape the kindness of the people and the exceptional quality of the coffee.

Hugo Sepulveda

Rwanda Buf Remera Mutegarugorikundakawa | Filter

Banco Gotete, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia | Filter

Tanzania Mbeya-Iyenga | Filter

Mario Acosta Natural, El Salvador | Filter

Sítio Prata, Brazil | Espresso

Peru La Naranja | Espresso

Brazil Aramosa Double Ferment | Filter

The Githongo Factory is located in the Central Highlands of Kenya bordering Nakuru and Kajiado in the West, Murang’a and Nyandarua to the North and Nairobi to the South. The name for Kiambu County originates from the Mbari ya Mbuu Kikuyu clan who once lived in the area.

The coffee is grown throughout the region on healthy deep red volcanic soils high in nutrients and organic matter. This soil is ideal for coffee production and gives the trees the necessary resources to allocate energy to high-quality coffee production.

Every step of this coffee production is under careful surveillance. From the cherries that are picked to the washing and fermentation, drying and sorting. This, along with the ideal soil and climate is clearly noticeable in the final cup of coffee. Full of fruit and vibrancy, we are very excited to have and share this exceptional example of Kenyan coffee.

Kenya Githongo AA

Born and brought up in Urrao, Antioquia by coffee-producing parents, Jose Arcadio Rueda’s passion for coffee was encouraged from a young age. Today, this passion is shared by his wife, Marbeluz, and teenage son, Santiago, both of whom help Sr. Arcadio on the farm. In the 20+ years since buying the plot, the family has together built up a 9,500 tree plantation of the smaller Chiroso variety (originally named Caturra Chiroso) and more recently, have begun growing the larger Chiroso variety.

This Chiroso tree, originally thought to be a variety of Caturra unique to Urrao, is characterised by an elongated cherry and is known locally for its productivity. Jose was one of the first farmers in the region to begin planting significant plots large enough for commercial use. There is now research suggesting Chiroso is actually a variety related to Ethiopian landraces. How this got to Finca La Falda is unclear but with its superb cup and complex notes, Jose is sure glad it did...

... and so are we!

Colombia, Finca La Falda

This coffee is soft and clean with notes of berries and citrus leading on to pleasing and light cacao-like finish .

In Tanzania AA refers to the size of the bean, with AA being the largest bean size. This lot of coffee from Mbeya is comprised of only is only the largest beans.

All of the farmers in Iyenga village (from which most of the cooperative members hail) are very small scale and grow coffee on five hectares or fewer (most only have a hectare or so). In addition to coffee, many grow maize, peanuts and beans. The majority of farmers often keep one or two cows and some poultry, as well. Iyenga Cooperative members ensure the soil remains fertile by adopting the best agricultural practices, upon which they are advised by the cooperative. These practices include preventing soil erosion through dual cropping, using mulching materials and applying compost on a regular basis at optimal times.

Tanzania Mbeya-Iyenga

Most of the small scale producers with whom Musasa Dukunde Kawa works own less than a quarter of a hectare of land, where they cultivate an average of only 250-300 coffee trees each as well as other subsistence food crops such as maize and beans. The cooperative gives these small farmers the chance to combine their
harvests and process cherries centrally. Before the proliferation of washing stations such as Mibilima, the norm in Rwanda was for small farmers to sell semi-processed cherries on to a middleman, and the market was dominated by a single exporter. This commodity-focused system-coupled with declining world prices in
the 1990s-brought severe hardship to farmers, some of whom abandoned coffee entirely. Today, it’s a different picture. Farmers who work with Musasa Dukunde Kawa have seen their income at least double, and the co-op produces some outstanding lots for the specialty market year after year. ‘Musasa’ means ‘a place to make a bed’ and ‘Dukunde Kawa’ means ‘let’s love coffee’ in Kinyarwanda - a
reference to the power of coffee to improve the lives of those in rural communities.

Williams & Johnson Coffee Co.

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Williams & Johnson Coffee Co.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Coffee Roasts

Brazil Aramosa Double Ferment | Filter

Colombia, Finca La Falda

Kenya Githongo AA

Rwanda Musasa Dukunde Kawa Mbilima

Sítio Prata, Brazil | Espresso

Tanzania Mbeya-Iyenga

Coffee archive

Banco Gotete, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia | Filter

Dos Santos Regalito

Finca Concepcion Pixcayá

Finca Santa Isabel

Hugo Sepulveda

Mario Acosta Natural, El Salvador | Filter

Pablo Emilio Montoya

Peru La Naranja | Espresso

Rwanda Buf Remera Mutegarugorikundakawa | Filter

Tanzania Mbeya-Iyenga | Filter

New Coffee Review