Guatemala Patzun Chimaltenango

Country: Guatemala
Region: Chimaltenango
Producer: Small holders of Panibaj
Elevation: 1800 MASL
Process: Washed

Tasting Notes:
Red Apple, Graham, Plum

Roaster's Notes:
This coffee comes from the Panibaj community, where ten small producers work together to grow and process their harvest. For many years, the coffee was sold as whole fruit (cherry), but transporting it to distant mills was difficult, time-consuming, and costly—limiting both quality control and profit for the producers.
To address this challenge, Walfred Baltazar, one of the Panibaj producers, connected with Adolfo Hernández, a coffee producer from Antigua, Guatemala who also works closely with smallholder farmers. Adolfo immediately related to Walfred’s experience, having faced similar obstacles early in his own coffee journey. Together, they developed a solution: establishing a small, community-based wet mill close to Panibaj.
With Adolfo’s support, the producers acquired a small depulping machine and built a wooden washing channel. The community benefits from abundant spring water—an essential resource for pulping and washing coffee—which made it possible to process the coffee locally. This not only simplified transportation to local buying points, but also allowed producers to retain more value for their work. The group successfully operated this way for several years.
The coffee is a blend of Catuai and Bourbon varieties, carefully hand-harvested at peak ripeness. After picking, the cherries are depulped and fermented for 48 hours in plastic fermentation tanks, then thoroughly washed and dried in direct sunlight for approximately 12 days.
This year, Walfred and Adolfo reconnected to explore the possibility of exporting the coffee. For the producers, this represents an important milestone—allowing them to see where their coffee is enjoyed around the world and to further strengthen the connection between their community and the people who drink their coffee.