Organic coffee farming in Guatemala.
Freshly picked green coffee entering a fermentation bin. The pulp has been
removed and it will stay here for a night or two so that the fermentation
process may begin to push up the silver lining of the bean. This will make
the milling process easier. San Sebastian beneficio.
Here, in a remote area of Guatemala (Lake Atitlan, on the El Injerto Estate, in
a rain forest preserve, the pulp is being stored for use in the coffee field.
 The
pulp is now spread in a path through the fields and will be moved to the foot of
the plants at a later time. The group is a SCAA expeditionary force in
Guatemala in January 2001 visiting farms and emphasizing the importance of
quality, cleanliness and sustainable methods, including organic.
 These
dried cherries, within which are the green beans that we roast, were dried in
the pulp. This is the natural method and results in a sweeter cup because
the sugars from the pulp are absorbed by the bean (pit) while drying.
In the first photo on this page you see green beans entering a fermentation
tank. They are being processed using the wet method. With it, the
pulp is removed, the beans washed and fermented and then dried on drying patios.
The coffee has been washed and is now drying under the sun. It is raked
several times and stacked and covered in the evening. A good foreman will
stick his arm in the pile and know when it is ready to be bagged and placed for
three months to mature in the reposed (dried but still with the parchment -
silver lining - on the bean), the last step is to mill off the parchment,
bag and ship.
 These
bags contain coffee waiting to be milled. The milling removes the
parchment. Some beneficio's will then shine the beans before bagging.
Organic material washing through the coffee fields. Not exactly a pleasing
aroma, but organic.
 Magnificent
red ripe cherries ready to be picked and green cherries not quite ready to be
picked. Good farms will do two or three pickings to avoid mixing sour,
unripe beans with the sweeter ripe cherries.
 Bob
Johnson presenting a certificate of appreciation and a cupping spoon to the
beneficio members. This process was repeated by other members of the SCAA
group at each farm.
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