Cafeólogo
Cafeólogo is a project founded by Jesús Salazar, focussing mainly on indigenous coffee growers in the area around San Cristobal de las Casas in central Chiapas, the southernmost region of Mexico. San Cristobal is located rather close to the border with Guatemala, and is in fact only around 200 km or about a 5 hour drive from San Marcos Huista in Huehuetenango, where we continually work with our Guatemalan partners from Primavera.
Members of the Cafeólogo team have immersed themselves in coffee growing communities around San Cristobal, learning the local Mayan dialects, understanding each farmer’s practices, their challenges and their needs. They also surveyed some of the more technical aspects of the land here, identifying potential pest and disease problems, and sequencing the varietals they found on each farm. Through this, they were able to present each farmer with a package of agronomic support.
Carmelita Mazariegos
This lot was grown by Carmelita Mazariegos near the town of Amatenango de la Frontera, very close to Chiapas’ southern border with Guatemala. Due to the proximity of the border, the culture and effects of mass migration to the US are strong here. Even Carmelita’s son has left the village, seeking new opportunities to the north. The stream of immigrants starts to intensify here in Mexico, as the flow from South and Central America begins to bottleneck towards the US border.
Amatenango suffers under the stress of the border, with social issues and organised crime causing almost constant trouble in the village. Through it all, Carmelita continues to run her business, along with support from her husband Umberto. The couple are nature lovers, they aim to preserve native shade tree species on the farm, and are very careful with their use of water.
Carmelita previously sold her coffee more than 40 km away, with no recognition of its quality. She first started working with Caféologo after meeting Jesus two years ago, and sharing a beautiful washed Bourbon with him.
This year’s lot has a similar profile, with a deep and crisp red apple character balanced by caramel notes for a bright and juicy cup.
