Guatemala Finca Santa Clara

All of our coffees are shipped whole bean.

Producer: Medina family

Grade: Specialty Grade 1 (SHB) Micro-lot

Finca Santa Clara is located in the Acatenango region of Guatemala and sits at 1460 masl, that’s just over 5400 feet in height. It is nestled between three volcanoes: Vulcans Acatenengo, Agua and Fuego. The farm is about 19 miles SW of Antigua and about 45 miles SW of Guatemala City.

The family has been farming coffee for over 100 years. They have about 500 hectares in total for coffee farming. That’s about 1200 acres in gringo speak. Of that, about 250 hectares (625 acres) encompasses Fincas Tehuya, El Balsamo and this offering, Santa Clara. The family also produces avocado, macadamia nuts and honey for selling at the local markets.

They are producing many coffee varietals: Caturra, Tekesic, Gesha, Castillo, Venecia, Marsellesa, Icatu, Bourbon, Bourbon 300, and Castillo varieties. The Icatu and Castillo are rust resistant which is good since this leaf rust called La Roya is harmful to coffee plants. It can also be lethal if it gets out of control. La roya is a fungus that travels through the air so it can move from one plant to another as well as one farm to another.

Being near three volcanoes can produce rich soil but they also have a local tree called the chalum to help provide shade. Volcanic rich soil can sometimes be very hot, radiating heat upward so shade can be essential for healthy coffee tree growth. The chalum trees also produce good amounts of nitrogen which are very nutritious for the soil, therefore allowing the coffee trees to thrive.

The chalum tree along with macadamia trees and another local tree called the Grabilaya tree are also used for shade. Some coffee trees prefer total shade, some prefer total sun and some prefer a mixture of both. The property also has a good number of pine and cypress trees. We hope you will enjoy your selection of Finca Santa Clara!