Ixhuatlan

Impressions: cordial cherry, rustic cacao, baked apple, cajeta
Roast degree: medium (3/5)
Country: Mexico
Location: Matlaquiahuitl, Ixhualtlán del café (Veracruz)
Variety: mixed, field blend
Process: Washed
Farm: Alere & Abuntia Coop.
Farmer: 10 farmers from the Coop.: Fidel Flores Galan, Alfonso Vazquez Gomez, Pablo Chama Ramos, Jose Fco. Agripino Chama Chavez, Victorino Chama, Martiniano Ramos Flores, Hector Chama Huerta, Timoteo Vazquez Martinez, Maria Gregoria Chama Chavez and Lucia Vazquez Reyes
Import partner: Semilla

For the second year, we are happy to bring you this community lot from the Ixhuatlan Community. This is an amalgamation of multiple smallholder farmers' lot owning less than 1 hectare of land or less, all between 800 and 1200 masl. Those farmers are part of a coffee producer cooperative called Cooperativa Alere & Abuntia.

In this region, most farmers sell cherries to big buyers, leaving money on the table in an unequal exchange. Nespresso is a huge influence there, and its parent company, Nestle, is purposefully keeping farmers into poverty in the country. Having Semilla do some work there against giants of the industry and champion of exploitation is meaningful.

The cooperative was established as a startup derived from the Value Chain Program (CADECAF), led by Cafecol. CADECAF was a pioneer in Mexico training producers in specialty coffee processing and commercialization.

In 2019, the cooperative Alere & Abuntia was formally established, launching the "Café Cooperativo MX" program. This initiative focuses on quality, traceability, and transparency, something we had to support.