GUATEMALA, FAIRLY SOURCED

Guatemala is one of the most geographically diverse coffee-producing countries in the world. Sitting along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country's highland regions are shaped by a combination of volcanic soils, dramatic altitude variation, and a network of distinct microclimates that allow an unusually wide range of varietals and flavour profiles to develop within a relatively small geographic area.

The majority of Guatemala's specialty coffee is grown in the western and central highlands, across regions including Huehuetenango, Santa Rosa, Palencia, and San Juan Sacatepéquez. Elevations range from around 1,350 to over 2,000 metres above sea level, with volcanic soils delivering the mineral-rich growing conditions that underpin the country's reputation for complex, full-bodied, and well-structured coffees. Native shade trees are widely used across the farms Caribbean Goods works with, contributing to soil health, biodiversity, and slower cherry maturation.

Guatemala has a long history in the Cup of Excellence — the international competition that has, for decades, been one of the most credible benchmarks of quality in green coffee. Several of Caribbean Goods' partner farms are Cup of Excellence winners or finalists, reflecting a commitment to quality that goes well beyond standard commercial production.

Caribbean Goods works with a select group of Guatemalan farms and producer collectives, each chosen for their commitment to quality and their alignment with the direct, transparent sourcing model at the heart of the business.

Hunchouen
A collective of 550 small producers in the Tajumuco region of Huehuetenango, formed in 1970. Hunchouen's name - like its sister collective Hunbatz - is drawn from the sixteenth-century Mayan Popol Vuh creation myth, in which two brothers, Hunbatz and Hunchouen, are celebrated as gifted artists, musicians, and craftsmen. The collective operates in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala, an area known for producing some of the country's most expressive and complex coffees.

Hunbatz
A collection of small coffee producers in the Cuilco region of Huehuetenango, in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala. Named alongside Hunchouen from the same Mayan creation story, the two collectives represent Caribbean Goods' commitment to working with smallholder communities in one of Guatemala's most important specialty coffee regions.

Finca El Socorro
Located in Palencia, 50 kilometres from Guatemala City, El Socorro has been in the de la Cerda family since 1968, when Dr. Mario de la Cerda and his wife Maria Colom de la Cerda bought the farm. In 1980, his son Juan de la Cerda Colom began planting coffee - and today, Juan Diego de la Cerda, the fourth generation, manages the farm alongside his father. El Socorro won 1st place at the Cup of Excellence in 2007 and 2020, and 2nd place in 2021. Juan Diego is actively experimenting with varietals including Java, Red and Yellow Bourbon, Yellow Caturra, Maracaturra, Pacamara, Purpuracea, and Geisha. The farm operates an efficient ecological wet mill that depulps dry and recycles water, treating it before returning it to the forest. 60% of the farm's land is covered with natural forest; coffee cultivation accounts for only 25%.

Finca Santa Ana & Finca Amatillo
Two of three neighbouring farms managed as a group by Roberto Díaz Marroquín in the village of Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, Department of Santa Rosa, situated between the Tecuamburro and Pacaya volcanoes on the mountain of La Gavia. Roberto has spent 30 years producing coffee on these farms, managing each yearly crop himself from planting through to processing. The farms grow Bourbon and Catuaí under native shade trees, with strict supervision during harvest to ensure only fully ripe cherries are picked. Both farms have been finalists at the Cup of Excellence over multiple years.

Finca San José Ocaña
The Sanchez family has owned Finca San José Ocaña for over 110 years, and it is now in its fifth generation under Guillermo Sanchez - a board member of ANACAFE, the Guatemalan coffee association. The farm is located in San Juan Sacatepéquez at 2,000 metres above sea level, where the high altitude increases cherry density and yields lower volumes of higher quality coffee. The farm has its own wet mill for full quality control and operates as a certified sustainable agricultural operation, with forestry management carried out under government-approved practices. Javier, Caribbean Goods' founder, grew up at school with Guillermo's son Cristián - the relationship that underpins this partnership has roots going back decades.

For every 24kg bag of Hunchouen coffee sold, Caribbean Goods contributes to MAIA - the MAIA Impact School in Sololá, Guatemala. To date, Caribbean Goods has donated $4,548.25 USD to MAIA, funding approximately 3,032 meals for students at the school.

MAIA is Central America's first secondary school designed specifically for Maya girls in rural Guatemala. Guatemala has the worst gender-equity gap in the Western hemisphere - fewer than 20% of Maya girls complete high school. MAIA works to change this through a holistic model combining rigorous academics, socioemotional support, family engagement, and leadership development, serving approximately 300 girls and 2,000 family members each year from rural communities in Sololá.

The connection between Caribbean Goods and MAIA reflects Javier's wider conviction that education is the most powerful tool available for creating lasting change in the communities that grow the coffee the world drinks. The Hunchouen partnership directly links purchasing decisions to that outcome: roasters buying Hunchouen through GCC are contributing directly to the school with every bag.

Caribbean Goods has two active tree-planting commitments tied directly to coffee purchases. For every 30kg bag of Hunbatz sold, a tree is planted on behalf of the purchasing roaster. A separate initiative, run in partnership with Pilgrims Coffee - a coffee house and roastery on Holy Island off the Northumbrian coast - saw a donation of 350kg of green coffee translated into 200 trees planted in the Scottish Highlands through the charity Trees for Life, contributing to their rewilding programme. To date, 604 trees have been planted in that grove.

Caribbean Goods brings a focused selection of Guatemalan green coffees to GCC, spanning both single-estate lots from award-winning farms and coffees from smallholder collectives in Huehuetenango. The range currently includes coffees from Hunchouen, Hunbatz, Finca El Socorro, Finca Santa Ana, Finca Amatillo, and Finca San José Ocaña - each sourced directly and accompanied by full producer information.