Origin of the Month

The backstory of this coffee is one of perseverance, resilience, and dedication. It was grown by a second-generation coffee farmer named Mario Santiz Lopez, on his 6-acre farm in the Altos Region of Chiapas,
Mexico. Mr. Lopez’s parents started out growing corn and beans, but the income produced by growing these crops was not enough to take care of the family.

Mr. Lopez’s father was desperate, so he took a
job working on one of the large coffee farms in the area. While working this job, his father learned much about the growing of coffee and the process for getting it to market.

Mr. Lopez’s father eventually converted their farm to one dedicated to growing coffee, and things turned around for them, until 2012, when the Chiapas region was hit hard hit hard by leaf rust. Leaf rust
is a fungus that grows and spreads very rapidly. It causes the affected leaves to dry up quickly and fall from the coffee tree, essentially denuding the trees. Leaf rust on a coffee tree will reduce yields
significantly, and eventually kill the coffee tree. It is both devastating and tragic for the coffee farmers.

All year, they take care of the coffee trees, looking forward to a bountiful harvest and the income that
comes from it, to take care of their families, and suddenly their farms are devastated by this fungus.

Up to this point, the Lopez farm had produced 60 150-pound bags of coffee per harvest year, after the
leaf rust, production fell to just 10 bags. Imagine the income you earn to take care of your family dropping by 84%. It’s enough to make a lot of people lose hope, but not Mr. Lopez and the other Chiapas coffee farmers.

In 2014, Starbucks Mexico, realizing the devastation in Chiapas, donated 100 percent of their profits from June through December that year, from the Shade Grown Mexico Whole Bean Coffee sold in
Starbucks Mexico stores (there are 400 of them), to purchase rust resistant coffee plants for Chiapas coffee growers, like Mr. Lopez, who needed help to renew their farms. Shortly after receiving this
assistance, production on the Lopez farm increased to 120 bags a year, twice the amount they were able to produce before the leaf rust hit. Hats off to Starbucks Mexico and the Chiapas coffee farmers!

This coffee was grown at elevations between 5200 and 5700 feet above sea level. There are 4 varietals in this lot, Bourbon, Typica, Catuai, and Mundo Novo. It is a washed process coffee that is sundried. It is
smooth with a medium body. While enjoying a cup of this coffee you may detect notes of Cocoa Powder, Dried Plum, and Nutty Granola.

In March 2024, this coffee was cup-graded and earned a cup score of 83.5. As a reminder, coffees that are scored at 79 and below are considered commodity coffees. Commodity coffee is a broad term for
any coffee produced and sold for commercial purposes. Commodity coffees are grown on large, commercially driven farms and then processed into a standard product for sale to the public.
Commodity coffees are usually sold on the open market for a meager price and are often regarded as a “cheap” product that’s almost viewed as a by-product of the coffee industry. Coffees with scores between 80 and 89 are specialty coffees. Coffees graded 90 or above are called President’s Award coffees. Only 1 percent of the world’s coffee is Presidents Award.

This coffee is very good and one we believe you will thoroughly enjoy. We consider it a must try, if for
the back story alone.

Photo credit- fincaeldiamantepereira.com