The history of coffee production in Mexico, as in most places, is long and complicated. At its peak in the late 1980s, coffee was Mexico's most exported agricultural product. Over the next few decades, political and economic factors, both national and international, led to a decline in production. Adding to these challenges, a 2012 outbreak of the devastating coffee leaf rust fungus greatly impacted the quality of Mexican coffee across all production zones. It wasn’t until 2016 that producers began to see both their yields and quality return on a large scale. From this re-emergence came a wave of renewed interest in the potential of specialty grade-coffees—both from international and domestic buyers. Today, Mexico has a thriving culture of domestic consumption and has seen a steady rise in the number of specialty roasters and cafes in its largest cities.

In 2017, Counter Culture started working with our importing partner, Red Fox Coffee Merchants, to explore various subregions of Oaxaca as farms began to recover. Working directly with small mills and producer groups, Red Fox has committed to supporting specialty coffee production by paying prices well above the local average and meticulously cupping small lots which are then blended by quality and community. Over the years, we've been particularly impressed by coffees produced in the Costa and Sierra Sur regions of Oaxaca. Many of the farmers in this part of the state come from Zapotec communities, an indigenous group whose origins can be traced back to 500 B.C.

This season, we combined our favorite lots from a small group of producers in the community of San Vincente Yogondoy to create Rio de Abejas. This offering has a deeply sweet, classic Oaxacan profile. The word Yogondoy means "river of bees”  in the Zapotec language, which is still spoken today in the region. Translated into Spanish, Rio de Abejas is a nod to the many coffee producers who also maintain beehives and produce honey on their farms across the region.