🇲🇽 Mexico – Cuaxtla
The community “Producers of Sustainable Coffee in Cuaxtla Sierra Negra” participates in the Slow Food Coffee Coalition with the aim of: producing at least 70% of their yearly crop as specialty coffee, but always putting as priority the dignity of the people involved (work, housing, health, safety), the greatest possible care for the environment, (avoidance of: erosion, pesticides, artificial fertilizers), and profitability.
For reaching their goal, they are committed to:
- Ensure traceability at the field and while processing the coffee.
- Do not use artificial fertilizers or pesticides unless there is no efficient alternative.
- Only shade grown coffee.
- Maintain a natural reserve of at least 5% of the plantation.
- Plant at least 200 trees per year
- Separate organic waste for composting and inorganic waste according to local regulations.
- Have salaries equivalent to or above the local average.
- Follow SCA guidelines for specialty green coffee.
- Training at least twice a year.
- Have at least 5 crops other than coffee for self-consumption purposes.
The community is formed by 11 members, of which 3 are producers and the rest are part of the families and personnel that perform different functions within the community’s operating mechanism.
The creation Community was promoted by the organic farm LA VICTORIA.
Cultivation: The coffee is grown in the shade in an agroforestry system, intercropped with other fruit trees and local plants.
Coffee: Arabica. Geisha, Oro Azteca, Sarchimor, Marsellesa, Costa Rica.
Participatory Guarantee System Initiative: In January 2023, Community of “Producers of Sustainable Coffee in Cuaxtla Sierra Negra” was founded.
The first pilot visits were carried out, on January 17th, to the first two producers in collaboration with the members of the Advisory Board of the National Ethical Committee in Mexico.
Lot “ORO”:
Lot Name: ORO
Quantity: 20 bags (2021), 10 bags (2022)
Country: México
Region: Cuaxtla, Sierra Norte de Puebla, Puebla.
Producers: Efraín Lechuga, Ranch LA VICTORIA
Harvesting period: January – April
Altitude: 1100 masl
Cultivation: 100% shade (shade grown) in polyculture. Coffee plants average age is 6 years.
Certification: organic Europe , organic Mexico, direct from the producer PGS
Quality: For exporting to Europe and specialty SCA , preparation is for competition
Wet Process: Washed
Fermentation: Carbonic maceration, 5 days
Drying: African bed under shadow, 15 days (moving every 40 minutes)
Final moisture content: 11%
Type of sorting: sieves (size), pneumatic (weight), densimetric (density)
Additional selection: 3 rounds of manual selection to choose the best coffee beans
Storage: in 69kg jute bag (food grade) and hermetic bag GrainPro
Family and variety: Arabica: Oro Azteca.
Lot “Premium”:
Lot Name: PREMIUM
Quantity: 35 bags (2021), 50 bags (2022)
Country: México
Region: Cuaxtla, Sierra Norte de Puebla, Puebla.
Producers: Efraín Lechuga, Ranch LA VICTORIA
Harvesting period: January – April
Altitude: 1100 masl
Cultivation: 100% shade (shade grown) in polyculture. Coffee plants average age is 5 years.
Certification: Organic Europe, Organic Mexico, Direct from the producer, PGS.
Quality: For Exporting to Europe and specialty SCA, preparation is for competition
Wet Process: Washed
Fermentation: 3 days
Drying: African bed and patio under the sun for 7 days (moving every 60 minutes)
Final moisture: 11%
Type of sorting: sieves (size), pneumatic (weight), densimetric (density)
Additional selection: manual selection before export
Storage: in 69kg Jute bag (food grade) and hermetic bag GrainPro
Family and varieties: Arabica: Oro Azteca and Marsellesa
Lot Caracolillo:
Lot Name: CARACOLILLO
Quantity: 5 bags.
Country: México
Region: Cuaxtla, Sierra Norte de Puebla, Puebla.
Producers: Efraín Lechuga, Ranch LA VICTORIA
Harvesting period: January – April
Variety: Arabica: Geisha, Oro Azteca, Sarchimor, Marsellesa, Costa Rica.
Altitude: 1100 masl
Planting: 100% shade (shade grown) in polyculture. Coffee plants average age is 5 years.
Certification: Organic Europe, Organic Mexico, Direct from the producer, PGS.
Quality: European export and SCA specialty
Wet Process: Washed
Fermentation: 3 days
Drying: African bed under the shadow for 15 days (moving every 45 minutes)
Final moisture content: 11%
Type of sorting: sieves (size), pneumatic (weight), densimetric (density)
Additional selection: manual selection before export
Storage: in 69kg jute new food grade bag and hermetic GrainPro bag.
Family and varieties: Arabica: Oro Azteca, Marsellesa and Sarchimor
