El Sendero - Single Origin - GUATEMALA

Red berry, pink lady apple and lemon

Variety: Bourbon, Caturra and Pache

Process: Washed - Medium Filter Roast

Suggested methods: Pour over, aeropress, cold brew, plunger and stovetop.

El Sendero – Guatemala

This beautiful coffee comes from four small-scale farmers who are part of the El Sendero Cooperative, nestled in the hills around Concepción Huista in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. These farms are tiny—just about 3 hectares each—and sit between 1600–2000m above sea level, surrounded by lush greenery and fed by the pristine waters of the Río Azul and its tributaries.

Shade-grown under Chalum and Gravillea trees (with just the right balance to suit the area's humid climate), the coffee is intercropped with avocados, lemons, oranges, and peaches. Most of the farms grow traditional Bourbon and Caturra varieties, with Pache also making its way in recent years. The farmers rely on organic and time-honoured methods—manual weeding, minimal use of chemicals, composting with dried coffee pulp, and even water treatment using sediment tanks. It’s a real hands-on approach, with families doing most of the work themselves, from hand-picking ripe cherries to processing them right on their farms.

How it’s processed

Before every harvest, the El Sendero Co-op runs refresher training sessions to make sure everyone’s aligned on best practices. Since each farmer processes their coffee on their own land, the setups vary—from fully kitted-out micro-mills to simple plastic tarps laid over gravel.

Harvesting kicks off in January on the lower farms and can stretch into March for the higher ones. Every cherry is picked by hand, often in several passes, to ensure only the ripest make it through. Early in the season, cherries are pre-fermented in sacks for up to 24 hours; later, when it’s warmer, this step shortens to around 12 hours. After depulping, the coffee ferments overnight and is then washed with fresh Río Azul water. Drying happens on raised beds, patios, or tarps—whatever the farmer has available—and usually takes about a week.

Once dried, the beans head to the El Sendero warehouse for sorting and cupping. If the lot meets quality standards, farmers are paid promptly and the coffee gets prepped for export. Prisma, the exporter, is planning to build their own dry mill soon to keep things tight and consistent on quality.

ORIGIN: Guatemala

REGION: Huehuetenango - Concepción Huista

VARIETY: Bourbon, Caturra and Pache

PROCESS: Washed

ALTITUDE: 1,600 – 2,000 MASL

SUGGESTED METHODS: Pour over, AeroPress, cold brew, plunger and stovetop.