Guatemala Concepción Huista Fair Trade Organic

High atop a ridge in northern Guatemala’s Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountain range, on the steep and rugged roads of Concepción Huista lies Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Desarrollo de Concepción Huista (better known as “CODECH”), a cooperative Equator has been purchasing from since 2017. This coffee was produced by one of CODECH’s star members, Marcos de Marcos Gaspar, who consistently places well in CODECH’s annual coffee quality competition. We first tasted Marcos’s coffee in 2016 while visiting the group to participate as a judge, and we have purchased his coffee every year since 2018.

CODECH was established in 1998 when the Alliance for Youth Community Development teamed up with local organizations to create an entity that would represent the interests of the municipality. Since 2004, the group has supported local smallholder farmers produce and market their coffee. Over the past fifteen years as a result of climate change, yields on the coffee farms surrounding Concepción Huista have dramatically decreased, but training and systematic renovations initiated by CODECH in 2015 are paying off. These programs are the driving force behind the group’s recent growth as non-members witness the impact on production and quality. Comprised of over 500 producers, a third of whom are women, CODECH continues to attract new members each year.

This coffee is certified Fair Trade and Organic.