20. Mexico – Rancho Morelia

Rancho Morelia sits on the southern slopes of the Sierra Madre in Chiapas, within the remarkable El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. Producer Jaime Cardenas took over the family farm in 2005, continuing the work begun by his father.

Coffee here grows between approximately 1,450 and 1,700 metres above sea level. Varieties include Bourbon, Typica and Catimor.

Ripe cherries are harvested by hand and taken directly to the farm’s own wet mill so processing can begin on the same day. This lot undergoes an extended fermentation before washing. The parchment is then dried on open patios for around 15 days. Once dry, the coffee travels to Edelmira Coffee, a local dry mill where it is prepared and sorted for export.

Edelmira was established to help connect smaller Mexican coffee producers with international speciality buyers, creating a route to market that individual farms can struggle to access alone. Its work also includes technical support and training for producers, including communication with farming communities in Tzeltal, one of the Indigenous languages spoken in Chiapas.

The location of Rancho Morelia within the wider El Triunfo landscape also makes the relationship between agriculture and the surrounding ecosystem particularly significant.

It is a coffee with both a strong family story and a supply chain designed to connect small farms more directly with the speciality market.