Guatemala Narcisa & Paula

Highlights

“Narcisa Salucio and Paula Perez are members of Jovemcafe, a women-led friendship-and-work group (Grupo de Amistad y Trabajo) of Poptí growers in the Com community, Huehuetenango. Formed in 2017 so that members could market their coffee together and access savings and micro-credit, the group is led by Paula Isabel Perez Perez, who studied at the local farming school to qualify as an agronomist in coffee cultivation. Both producers pulp their cherries shortly after picking and process them at small wet mills at home with their families. Com sits high enough to stay cool, which stretches fermentation to as much as 58 hours, a longer schedule Paula introduced after experimenting with it, followed by a clean-water soak and four to five days on the drying patio. The cup is full-bodied with fresh fruit acidity, caramel and plum jam.”