From Illiatenco, we visited several communities in the Montaña Alta areas, who initially received us either with great reluctance or with great warmth. What unites them all, however, is the rare way coffee is grown here. Perhaps only in Ethiopia can you still find Typica coffee forests in such largely untouched ecosystems, where Typica coffee trees are tall and up to 30 years old.
Coffee production here is very different from other Central or South American countries. Coffee farmers here have very small areas, 1-2 hectares each, and production is very low. The biggest problem, however, is empirical processing: most often, the coffee is insufficiently dried on the ground. Many coffee farmers don't want to dry the coffee longer and prefer to sell it with very high moisture content for a lower price to local intermediaries - Coyotes - who then sell it on to a multinational friendly with George Clooney.
Despite all the problems, Guerrero is an extremely beautiful place, and the Me'Phaa culture is superb. To gain the trust of these communities - completely isolated and abandoned - it's important to understand their way of thinking, cosmic vision, and local culture. These communities often organize ceremonies where they ask the divinity for rain or permission to cultivate and have the habit of thanking pachamama for food and water.
One of the most important local symbols is the jaguar, called Indii in the local language. It represents power, fertility, and authority. And we chose the name Indii for our coffee from Montaña Alta to celebrate this. @ensamblescafe #lapressco #specialtycoffeemexico #mexico #Guerrero
