JESUS LEIVA CARDONA - HUEHUETENANGO, GUATEMALA

Jesus's parcel La Peña was named for a large nearby rock formation known as a peña. Jesus owns other parcelas too: La Fortuna, El Chorro, and La Pinada among them. The La Peña lot in particular is interesting because there is a small spring on the property which has greatly benefitted the family. Jesus teaches his family and neighbors that to care for the land because water is vital for life, and also for the production of healthy coffee plants.

Jesus and his wife Concepcion are in charge of picking coffee, picking around 10 quintales of cherry per day and then depulping the coffee on the same day. Their wet mill is artisanal, with a small motor, and fermentation takes place in plastic containers. Fermentation lasts about 30 hours, and then the coffee is washed. Finally, the coffee is set out to dry for about 4-5 days, resting in the sun from 8 AM to 4 PM. After drying, the coffee is delivered to a local warehouse before being transported to La Central's dry mill in Fraijanes by truck. The final step in processing, dry milling, occurs at our mill under the watchful eye of Wilder, their experienced mill manager, and is then bagged and prepared for export.