History of Guatemalan Coffee.

Starting our Travel Series in the Americas, we have flown you to Central America to explore the rich history of Guatemala and their coffee production. Central America is a vibrant and intoxicating fusion of cultures, and the biggest exporter of coffee. Of these countries Guatemala produce 217,200,000 kgs of coffee every year, shockingly they are even in the top ten main exporters. 

Guatemala has an incredibly rich history when it comes to the production of coffee dating back to the 18th century, when Jesuit priests brought coffee trees over to decorate their monasteries.

After the Napoleonic Wars coffee was grown as a cash crop, and for the next 150 years as a way of maintaining a failing economy. 

In June 1952 however, during the Guatemalan revolution congress passed decree known as Agrarian Reform Laws redistributing nearly 1700 acres of land back to 500,000 landless peasants.

When the civil war finally ended in 1996, the country could begin to recover and restore after the violence inflicted in the later half of the twenith century, and it took until the early 21st century for the coffee industry to recover and begin to grow again. 

Today, the Guatemalan coffee sector cannot be underestimated. Guatemala is ranked 11th in coffee production, it generates around 40% of all agricultural export revenue and almost ¼ of the population is involved in producing the 3.6 million bags of coffee Guatemala exports each year.

Since the epidemic of Coffee Leaf Rust the quality of coffee beans is increasing due to the diversity of the coffee industry there, with small farmers growing exceptional coffee and higher altitudes- like in Huehuetenago. 

We incorporated Guatemalan Beans into our 'Soul in the Machine' blend, from the Huehuetenango, a city in the Western highlands, its subtropical highland climate makes it the perfect weather to produce coffee.  

Check out our coffees here.