23. Guatemala – Hunbatz

High in the mountains around Cuilco in Huehuetenango, smallholder farming families produce Hunbatz. The name itself comes from the Popol Vuh, the Maya creation story. The story says that Hunbatz and his brother Hunchouén were gifted artists associated with music, sculpture, painting and craftsmanship before being transformed into howler monkeys. Hunbatz later became associated with music and the arts within Maya tradition.

The coffee production system is every bit as interesting as the name. Many of the families involved effectively operate their own miniature wet mills at home. Freshly harvested cherries are brought back to the household before being depulped, fermented in small tanks or containers and washed through simple channels. The coffee is then dried on rooftops and patios. Once dry, bags may remain stored inside the family home until they are ready to move through the cooperative system. The coffee therefore remains physically close to the families that produced it through almost every stage of early processing.

The producers belong to a smallholder federation. Coffee deliveries are cupped locally by a Q Grader who assesses the coffee for quality, and particularly promising lots can be assessed again before selection.

Because the federation belongs to the producer members, value from the coffee remains within the same smallholder network even where coffees from several families contribute to the final lot.

The sourcing relationship also has an environmental element, with purchases of Hunbatz linked to tree planting in the purchasing roaster’s name.