Guatemala Finca La Senda

The story of Finca La Senda began in the 1940s when Arnaldo's father first started growing coffee in the Acantenango region. Arnaldo dedicated his life to working with coffee and for many decades he supplied his crop to the local cooperative every year. But in 2017, a major turning point occurred. A specialist coffee merchant and a coffee consultant visited the area and, in a blind tasting, discovered the high potential of the coffees from Finca La Senda. After several conversations, Arnaldo and his wife Maria decided to build their own coffee processing facility, which they completed in just six months. They learned how to combine their existing knowledge with new processing methods to achieve the best possible results. With the support of family and friends, they focused on careful cherry selection, long and controlled fermentation and slow drying in the shade. The farm employs 14 people during the year, rising to around 70 during the harvest, all of whom come from the local village.

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The coffee is harvested selectively, only ripe fruits are chosen. After the washing process, the whole cherries are transferred to fermentation tanks with Italian champagne yeast for 72-96 hours. Then the juicy liquid, full of flavour and yeast, is pumped out and used to ferment a new batch of coffee, which takes up to 120 hours. This process with concentrated liquid allows the coffee to develop a particularly bright acidity and body. The cherries are then dried for 21 days and then dehulled. Once the grains have reached the ideal moisture content, they are ready for export.