4-20-12

 

Back in 2002-2003, we had the realization that we liked the certified organic, shade-grown coffee from Finca Nueva Armenia – located in Huehuetenango, Guatemala – better than our other, extremely popular offering from Guatemala, which was from the storied coffee region of Antigua. Not only was Finca Nueva Armenia impeccably delicious, it was also more in line with our values and belief in the importance of organic agriculture.

 

From that point forward, we decided to focus our purchasing and marketing efforts in Guatemala on Finca Nueva Armenia's coffee. But, we didn't yet know the Recinos family that grew the coffee – having always purchased it from an importer. So, we e-mailed them. And, they didn't write back. Multiple times. Finally, we wrote that we planned to visit them. Thankfully, Jorge Recinos agreed to pick Kim and Peter up at the airport in Guatemala City and, by now, our relationship with the Recinos family is among our longest and most rewarding.

 

Although they don't make a point of following the coffee industry, the Recinos brothers, Jorge and Javier, are quite conscious of their farm's natural beauty and have internalized their responsibility in a way that is unmatched by any grower we have ever met. Finca Nueva Armenia pursued organic and Bird Friendly certifications on the volition of these two brothers long before a market developed for them despite constant pressure to increase production and forsake the costs of certification.

 

Thanks,
Nathan