Located in the remote town of Jacaltenango in Western Guatemala, Coop Rio Azul is a 186-member cooperative. Founded in 1967, the cooperative has a long history of producing some of the best coffee exported under the famed Huehuetenango regional mark. Farmers in the cooperative produce SHB grade coffee and harvest from plots that sit between between 1200-1600 meters above sea level. The cooperative own a wet mill in Jacaltenango where all of the coffee is processed. The mill is located in close proximity to the farmers' plots, allowing comprehensive control over various stages of the quality process. Coffee is harvested until early afternoon and then delivered in cherry form to the mill from 3pm every day. Once the coffee has been processed, it is stored in parchment form until a container quantity is accumulated. The parchment is then transferred to Guatemala City to be prepared for export.
The cooperative implement capacity building and social development projects within the wider community. They have recently implemented an alternative income project raising bees to improve pollination and produce honey. Twenty eight farmers currently participate in the project, and each manages 10 boxes. They typically produce about 20 kilograms of honey resulting in annual honey production for the coop of nearly 6000 kilograms.
| Tasting Notes | Toffee, mandarins and sweet grapefruit notes, move to chocolate and hazelnut. Smooth body and rounded acidity. |
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Region |
Jacaltenango |
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Altitude |
1200 - 1750 metres above sea level |
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Soils |
Clay |