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The newest decaf to hit our menu is a repeat purchase from Mataquescuintla in southwest Guatemala. This blend of microlot beans was produced by 43 Indigenous Xinka farmers (listed below), all members of the Café Colis Resistencia collective, supported by our import partners Semilla Coffee. Made up of several varietals, “La Resistencia” is a sweet, fresh crop decaf lot that can be enjoyed day or night, and takes our mission to empower these producers to receive fair compensation and protect their land even further.
Grown on small plots at 1700-1900 masl, these cherries were picked at harvest, naturally processed at a local wet mill, and depulped the same day. After fermenting in tanks and plastic bags, they dry on raised beds for two weeks before blending and storage. The natural Swiss Water® process (in Delta, BC) was used to gently strip 99.9% of the caffeine molecules from the green coffee beans by soaking them in an organically-derived solution of Green Coffee Extract, free of any harsh additives. In the cup, we taste milk chocolate, malt, and vanilla wafer.
The struggles of this region’s residents are well-documented. Beyond CCR’s active protest of the illegally built Escobal mine owned by Canadian-based Pan-American Silver, the group’s name also makes reference to the region’s local fame for growing cauliflower (“coliflor” or “colis”), a resilient crop that like coffee, grows extremely well in the sun-drenched mountains of the Jalapa Department. Yet due to water scarcity, erratic conditions associated with climate change, and plant diseases like roya, coffee yields have dramatically declined in recent years. Outputting between 200-250 quintals (~100 lbs) of cherry per hectare 10 years ago — Mataquescuintla now averages only 50-80 quintals per hectare.
On top of that, smallholder farmers in this area face challenges stemming from systemic government corruption. Citing the Escobal protests as a false flag, Anacafé’s abandonment of the area has taken with it resources like soil analysis, agronomic training, and global market access, leaving producers to navigate these difficulties completely on their own. For these reasons, Semilla considers their investment in this Indigenous land-defending group the most impactful of all their projects. Whereas in Colombia, Honduras, and Rwanda, local producers have resources and support within reach; here, nada.
CCR’s growth and independence shows just how effective those investments have been, with Semilla and local NGOs paying for testing and distributing tools like humidity meters and sample mills, as well as offering skills training and knowledge sharing workshops to improve cup quality for the international specialty market. To counteract the region’s water scarcity, eco-friendly Penagos pulpers were installed in strategic locations and used to process all of the beans in the La Resistencia Decaf blend. This efficiency measure not only helps achieve a higher cup score but saves producers money, fostering sustainable, independent revenue growth.
Infrastructures like these are vital not only for the economic success of the region’s concentration of coffee farmers, but also for their ability to preserve their land rights and culture. If you want to help make an impact beyond your support purchasing these beans, donate directly to the Cafe Colis Resistencia group at this link.
In the cup, we taste milk chocolate, malt, and vanilla wafer.
