Ixlama comes from the department of Huehuetenango near the Guatemala-Mexico border, a region known for its rugged landscapes, high elevation, and for the 22 ethnic groups of Mayan descent who call this community home. This coffee is the culmination of work by approximately 120 family producers in the municipalities of San Pedro Necta and La Libertad. Many producers here identify as Maya, speak one of the seven local dialects, and work on their farms dressed in the colorful, hand-loomed textiles associated with their individual communities — a tradition that contributes to Guatemala's rich culture and to unique identity of this coffee-growing country. Consisting of 50 percent Bourbon and 50 percent Caturra varietals, this coffee was grown at an elevation of 1,524 to 1,830 meters above sea level. Ixlama, a shade-grown coffee, is harvested and brought to Transcafe’s mill at Caserio Teogal Aldea San Martin. At the mill, located near the town of Todos Santos, coffees are sun-dried on cement patios for four days before being placed in “guardiolas,” a type of coffee dryer patented by a Guatemalan resident in 1872. The coffees are then computer-sorted by color and separated by density mechanically, resulting in a superior, clean, and bright cup.
