Last month I was in Guatemala for about a week and then took a bus over to El Salvador for about one more week.   I had the chance to visit all of the farms we are currently purchasing from as well as meet some other fantastic folks in the coffee community.  Here’s a quick recap/highlight reel…

Guatemala—

Finca de Dios

My second day in Guatemala I spent all day at Finca de Dios in Fraijanes.  Finca de Dios is a very special coffee at Madcap.  It was my first time having the opportunity of meeting the owners Ellen and Stuart Prentice (husband and wife duo), although members of Madcap have been visiting annually over the past 3 years.  2012 will be the 4th consecutive year we have bought coffee from the Prentice family.  Each year we are amazed by the clean cup and uniformity of the coffee.  The practices at the farm and mill level were a true testament to this quality.  Ellen and Stuart’s skill sets compliment one another wonderfully; Ellen, a botanist, nurtures the farm while overseeing a very particular harvest of only the ripest cherries.  Stuart, an engineer, set up brand new processing equipment this year in their wet mill.  It is rare to see the level of detail on both the picking and the processing like is seen at Finca de Dios.  And to top it off, Ellen and Stuart are incredibly warm and inviting.  This year we are working on separating day lots from different parts of the farm, which should allow more clarity and vibrancy in the cup.

Ellen and Stuart Prentice of Finca de Dios

Las Aguas Altas

This farm is located in San Pedro Necta of the Huehuetenango Region.   By car the drive is about 8 hours from Guatemala City, nearly taking you into Mexico.  2011 was the first year we bought from Gabino Mendez, the owner of Las Aguas Altas.  A matter a fact, it was the first year Gabino or anyone in his family (of 13 siblings) has ever sold directly to a roaster.  The operation is very small; it is quaint and nothing fancy yet incredibly endearing.  I find a beauty in the mutual support, the benefit and the overall synergy of this small family farm remotely tucked away in Huehuetenango and a little roaster slightly less tucked away in Grand Rapids, MI.  Amongst the farm you could see plans for the future with a relatively large nursery and an introduction to his family members who also grow coffee.  Leaving, I was filled with excitement, knowing that we are both in better places with this relationship; The Mendez family knows who is buying the bulk of their coffee, has a reason to improve quality and is seeing over $1 more a pound than they would otherwise (this is roughly a 35% increase).  For us at Madcap, we have delicious coffee, a family we can grow with and we are incredibly proud of.  This is what specialty coffee is all about, right?

Nursery at Las Aguas Altas

My trip to Guatemala was hosted by Edwin Martinez of ONYX coffee. He has helped connect us to great farms and import all of the coffee we have purchased from Guatemala at Madcap.  Big shout out and thanks to Edwin/ONYX Coffee.

El Salvador—

Apaneca El Salvador with the Rodriguez Family

In El Salvador, Gloria, Luis and Majo Rodriguez, who we worked with extensively this past year offering the Varietal Series from El Porvenir and La Gloria, hosted me.  I have written it before, but I’ll mention it again that it is always a pleasure working with this family.  They are very down to earth, make you feel at home when you are there, and are innovative in the way they approach coffee.  This upcoming year we will have the opportunity to offer the Varietal Series once again, while in following years we are working on some ideas to make it even more extensive, unique and impressive – stay tuned. On the cupping table the coffees were really standing up nice and for the second year in a row the rare and exotic Elefante Variety stole the show on the cupping table.  We will be bringing in small quantities of this coffee again this year.  In the next couple months we will unveil some of the new small lots we will be buying this year from the Rodriguez family farms.  One exciting piece to mention is that we should be seeing these coffees a lot earlier this year as we worked out some ways of delivering the crop quickly after harvest.  Fresher crop = Tastier Coffee.

Ripe Red, Yellow and Orange Bourbon at El Porvenir

Metapan with Alejandro Valiente

We cupped around 50 coffees from all over the country early on during my time in El Salvador.  There were 4 coffees that caught my attention in a pleasantly unique way that jumped off the table with vibrancy, unique acidity and a really nice sweetness.  These coffees come from the Metapan region, an area Luis has been excited to share.  We made a long day trip to Metapan and spent the day with Alejandro Valiente.  Alejandro runs Beneficio San Miguel Ingenio, manages a handful of farms and also has his own farm, Finca Buena Aires.  The area is unlike many coffee-growing regions I’ve seen, driving up to the farms the soil is rocky and appears to be dry (yet they actually have more water than many areas of El Salvador).  The farm is located right next to a protected national park allowing for strong soil and conditions free of using pesticides.  The view from this area is equally as breathtaking as the great coffee and people as you can overlook much of El Salvador and into Guatemala and Honduras.  This year we will be bringing in a small offering from this area and growing a purchasing relationship.  Look out.

-Ryan Knapp Head of Roasting Operations

Drying at Beneficio San Miguel Ingenio, Metapan

Alejandro and Luis at Finca Buenas Aires