El panal. Cafe de Guatemala

Highlights

“Created in 2006, the Qawale project was conceived for small and medium producers and driven by Vides58, an organisation recognised for decades in the specialty coffee world of Huehuetenango. Its approach rests on that experience and on a network of small and medium producers in the region. Agronomists and coffee professionals travel the terrain to pass on technical knowledge, both on agricultural practices and on fermentation and post-harvest processing methods. Activities, training sessions and workshops follow the Rainforest Alliance (RFA) model and focus especially on increasing native tree cover and preserving the soil's protective layer. El Panal — honeycomb — is the name given to this lot, because the project demands organisation as meticulous as a beehive. Improving biodiversity on the farms also helps preserve local bees. The project's impact goes beyond quality: producers gain social benefits and access to cultural activities. The programme covers the regions of La Libertad (Huehuetenango), Oriente and Cobán. Since its beginnings in 2006 with a small group of members, Qawale has seen many independent producers join, and today counts more than 900 producers. A third of them are women owners and producers, who face the additional challenge of combining unpaid domestic work with managing their holdings — for that reason they receive an extra premium. Producers process their coffee directly on their farms, which demands rigorous monitoring of processing techniques during harvest to guarantee uniform quality across the different holdings. All producers have been trained in Q-Process and apply similar drying practices for this lot. Cherries go through an initial two-day fermentation in sacks, then dry on patios for 18 days. The layer of cherries exposed to the sun must be as thin as possible to avoid excessive fermentation; the cherries are turned several times a day to keep air circulating around the fruit, and the drying areas must be covered during damp nights. These techniques produce a very clean, transparent natural coffee that lets the terroir express itself, without excessively pronounced fermentation flavours.”