Guatemala Ella Todos Santos

Huehuetenango is one of eight designated coffee producing regions in Guatemala. Sharing a border with Mexico in the West of the country, this area is rugged and has the highest elevations for coffee cultivation. The dry hot winds that move into the highlands from Mexico mix with the cool air creating a microclimate that allows coffee to be grown up to 2000m and keeps frost from occurring. The region is blessed with countless rivers and streams allowing most farmers, who own a wet mill onsite, to process their own coffee. Coffees from this region tend to be characterized by having a rich body, high acidity, and fruity qualities that can range from citrusy to winey.

Meet Todos Santos, a collective known as ‘Mujeres luchando por un mejor futuro’, or Women Fighting for a Better Future. A sisterhood of 276 courageouswomen coffee farmers gathered to fight impossible odds. Many men have left their families to work in the US. The women are left to raise their families, manage their farms, and bring in an income. The women of this community were tired of doing it all alone. So, they banded together and quickly gathered over 200 small producer women, forming an association to benefit the whole community. The women are strong forces for change for the quality of life and the quality of coffee.