The Power of Coffee in Guatemala
In Guatemala, coffee is more than a seasonal indulgence.
60% of Guatemala’s families live below poverty level and over.
70% of Guatemala’s families depend on the coffee industry for income.
(Read Time: 2 min.)
Power Over Poverty
The rich terrain that surrounds remote mountain villages in Guatemala is ideal for coffee farming, but it is also the only available source of income for many families who live in these areas. Many families completely depend upon the coffee industry to survive.
Our Artisan partners in Guatemala continually strive to uphold high quality standards for their coffee while also continually improving the quality of life for their workers – through safe working conditions, fair wages, and medical care. They’re committed to the ethical coffee growing and harvesting practices they’ve maintained for over a century that empower both their coffee and coffee Artisans to grow and thrive.
The Hope of the Harvest
Every cup of Trades of Hope Coffee begins thousands of feet above sea level in Guatemala’s richest coffee regions. During harvest season, mature coffee beans cover the mountainsides with deep-red berries, called “cherries.”
Harvesters carefully choose a very narrow window of time to handpick the berries to ensure the highest quality and flavor. The berries are then soaked in large tanks of water until they ferment and burst. Floating berries are strained off and discarded, while the highest quality berries are pressure washed to remove the pulp and reveal the seeds we call “coffee beans.”
Artisans then dry the coffee beans in the sun to prepare them for roasting. The entire harvesting process takes several days and most of the work is done by hand.
Freshly roasted coffee beans are shipped to Trades of Hope where coffee lovers can purchase whole bean or ground Natalia Blend Coffee and enjoy every sip, knowing they’re not only creating new opportunities for women in areas of extreme poverty in Guatemala to provide safe homes, food, clothing, education, and medical care for their families, but they’re also funding emergency medical care for babies in I.C.U. in Guatemala!
Every purchase of our coffee products from Guatemala helps empower families out of poverty.
Watch the video below to discover more about how you can make a difference in the fight against poverty in Guatemala.
More COFFEE Blogs! – Guatemala
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Wonderfully told! I love reading all the Kindred blogs. Kathy’s writing transports the reader into the artisans’ worlds. Well done!!