Guatemala | Erwin Argueta

Highlights

“Erwin Argueta is a third generation coffee farmer in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, growing Caturra and Bourbon between 1,450 and 1,550 masl. He manages the farm without herbicides, controlling weeds by machete to protect the soil from erosion, uses natural traps for coffee borer beetle and a leaf spray against coffee leaf rust, and treats his washing water in three phases through natural wells so acidic waste water never reaches his soil. Processing is traditional: cherries are floated to remove under- and over-ripe fruit, pulped, fermented for about 18 hours in a shaded open tank, then washed, channel-sorted and dried on the patio. He recently upgraded his fermentation tank from wood to cement and retiled his washing channels, and he experiments with honey and natural lots on raised beds. His work has taken a first and a second place at Cup of Excellence in 2024 plus another second place in 2025. This is Rowan's second year buying his coffee, at larger volume than the first.”