Guatemala Petrona Perez

Petrona Perez is an exemplary figure of all women in coffee that are dominating the specialty world. Female producers and the role of women in the supply chain are often overshadowed in the coffee industry. They play an integral role in cultivating, harvesting, and processing coffee. It is an honor for us to share this lot from Petrona Perez and to celebrate the dedication she puts into her crop. Petrona and her mother oversee the operations on their farm Finca Satchibal which is about 1.3 hectares. Finca Satchibal began humbly as a means for bringing financial stability and growth for the family by Petrona’s mother when Petrona’s father migrated from Guatemala.

The farm is located in the town of Qom in the Huehuetenango region, which is on the tail end of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range. Unlike other coffee-growing regions, Huehuetenango is characterized by clay-loam soil, rather than volcanic. Clay-loam soil is able to retain water well and at a slow draining rate, ideal for growing coffee as coffee needs moist soil. The high elevation of Finca Satchibal is met with dry, hot winds that blow across the border from Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain, allowing the coffee to grow free from the threat of frost.

Perez focuses on producing consistently high-quality coffee from the Caturra and Bourbon varieties on her farm. After cherries are picked, Perez has them depulped on the same day to begin fermentation quickly. After fermentation and washing, they are laid out to dry on patios for seven days. Coffee is sorted with great intention and the work that Petrona put into her coffee, reflects her mother’s original goal of creating stability and growth.