Organic Guatemala Finca Bremen - 5 lb Bag

Edwin Olmers, who manages Finca Bremen, is a 5th generation farmer. Edwin fell in love with the farm when he was young and learned the best practices from his father who taught him great work ethic and dedication to quality. Olmers’ vision for Finca Bremen involves creating sustainable coffees for the next generations. Finca Bremen successfully supports this
vision by:
• Generating jobs for more than 350 families that live in the area
• Encouraging positive development for the local surroundings
• Providing training regarding new coffee-growing techniques
• Hosting medical campaigns for families in the area
• Offering educational programs for the children of these families
• Constant investing in water & energy efficient machinery
• Reforestation programs
• Third Party Certifications
Finca Bremen is located in the highlands of beautiful Baja Verapaz. The region is filled with great biodiversity including the endangered national bird of Guatemala, the Resplendent Quetzal. Finca Bremen switched to organic production in 2013 in an attempt to further preserve the natural environment. Switching from conventional to organic farming generally decreases coffee yields but the change to more sustainable and healthy practices has proved successful in many other ways. The quality of the soil, water, and cup taste has increased, paving the way for next generations to preserve the environment while getting a higher price for their coffees.

Guatemala boasts a variety of growing regions and conditions that produce spectacular coffees. Today, the country is revered as a producer of some of the most flavorful and nuanced cups worldwide. We are proud to work with several exceptional in-country partners to bring these coffees to market.

The Guatemalan coffee industry experienced a major setback with the 2010 appearance of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Latin America. The epidemic peaked in severity in 2012, and though CLR continues to affect some farms, Guatemala continues to produce high-quality, record-breaking coffees. In 2017, new and varied processing methods pushed prices at the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence contest to record highs.

The quality of coffee being produced in Guatemala is increasing, overall, due to the diversity of the industry’s producers. There are more and more small holder farmers producing exceptional coffee at high altitudes. Cooperatives are becoming more appealing to so many smallholders because they often offer farmers financing and other support for improving their farming and processing and are frequently able to offer higher prices for cherry than middlemen. Many cooperatives have initiated quality improvement training for farmer members and are becoming more adept at helping members market their coffee as specialty.