A Tour of Finca Patzibir at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala
Guatemala has a certain magic to it. The people. The land. It’s a beautiful place to find wonderful coffees with incredible stories. No place in Guatemala is quite as enchanting as lake Atitlan. The lake itself is a gem of the central highlands, and the surrounding microclimates are perfect for thoughtful coffee cultivation.
That’s where Andres Fashen (pictured above during a recent farm tour), a fifth generation coffee producer works his magic to grow some very special coffee. His farm, Finca Patzibir, is incredibly productive, but looks like a forest.
Just think of it. Coffee grown with the most modern, cutting edge techniques in forest canopy understory. With help from some of the best minds in coffee, they have implemented living soil style growing techniques, a USDA Organic certification, and some very advanced plant “tissue management.”
This living soil style cultivation uses only compost grown and produced on site. It’s closed loop agroforestry. We’re big believers in living soil coffees and Finca Patzibir highlights exactly why!
Speaking of tissue management- 1/3rd of their farm is under the process of being “stumped” this year. The farmers were on site with a chainsaw during our visit. They have learned cutting the trees in this way leads to trees that grow and produce like they are young and healthy again. It’s counterintuitive but nature works in surprising ways. Even some of the farmers couldn’t believe it worked!
Living soil production, agroforestry, great processing, and wholesome natural ingredients all come together for a really great cup of coffee that we are proud to share from “Finca Patzibir.”
Group Cuppings