Guatemala - Huixoc Huehuetenango | Washed

Description

Huixoc was the first coffee farm in Huehuetenango, founded by José Oliva Chávez in 1947. In the 1930’s Chavez had the idea to start farming coffee, bringing migrant workers from Huehuetenango to help start Finca Huixoc. The construction of this farm was not simple. It required transporting equipment to the farm and exporting coffee using mules to navigate the 7 kilometers of terrain between the plantation and the closest road. Eventually, using dynamite smuggled in from Mexico, he created a road leading to Finca Huixoc, making the farm more accessible. This farming region has now grown to be one of the most renowned specialty coffee regions in Guatemala. Fifteen years ago, Alejandro Solis started as the 3rd generation producer of Finca Huixoc. They had a five year renovation period starting in 2012. During this time, they planted 1 million new coffee plants and redesigned their strategy for farm management. Along with renovating the farm, they completely refurbished the mill and drying patio. The wet mill has been a part of Huixoc since 1947, the only changes made have been to the use of electrical engines to run the mill instead of utilizing hydro power. The name Huixoc comes from the local Mayan Mam dialect meaning ‘water spring’. These springs help keep the farm soilmoist and the coffee plants productive during droughts or periods of little rain. These springs also helped generate electricity for the mill in past years. Finca Huixoc is a large estate farm spanning 105 Hectares, 99 of which cultivate coffee. It is located in the humid mountainous terrain of the Northwest region of Guatemala, Huehuetenango.  Located at 1250-1800 meters above sea level with heavy rainfall and nutrient rich soil, this farm has traditionally produced quality Bourbon and Caturra Varietals.  In recent renovations they have also added roya resistant varietals such as Anacafé 14, Sarchimor and Obata. Six hectares of this plantation are natural forest reserve, earning Huixoc their Rainforest Alliance Certification. The farm is completely covered by  Inga and Chalum shade trees. These shade trees help protect the plants from the sometimes harsh rains and sunlight characterized by the region. They also provide nutrients to the soil through falling foliage.  The plantation is located on a mountainous terrain, so these shade trees as well as the terracing of coffee play an integral role in the prevention of soil degradation. Finca Huixoc renovates and plants new coffee varietals based off of existing varietals with good genetics.  A plant with good genetics would produce a high quality coffee bean, be highly productive in the climate and environmental conditions of the farm, and be pest and disease resistant.  They take seeds from these mother plants and germinate them in nutrient rich soil in their nursery. The seedlings that thrive are then planted among Finca Huixoc to continue the production of high quality sustainable coffees grown and processed on this farm. They create a nutrient rich soil by adding discarded cherry pulp from the mill. This pulp is broken down into nutrients the plants can use through a process of worm composting. The worms consume and breakdown the pulp to make great organic fertilizer for the plantation and the nursery.  To assure that the soil is healthy, the workers monitor and analyze it constantly to guarantee the high production of quality coffee. There are no pesticides used on this farm, but rather they use ecologically friendly traps to control pests with little cost to the farm. In recent years there has been a shortage of rain in this region, as with many regions, due to changing climates. Huixoc and its surrounding farms are luckily located near several water springs. These springs help to irrigate the land to make up for the lack of rain. These water sources have also been an important component in powering the wet mill located on Finca Huixoc. The springs provide water to the wet mill to wash and ferment the cherries as well as power the machinery used to run the mill.   Only in recent years have they begun using electricity to power the mill. During harvest season, they comb through the plantation several times to pick cherries at their peak maturation. This results in high quality coffees produced from high quality cherry. The mill and patio have been a part of Huixoc from the beginning, increasing in efficiency but maintaining its original characteristics. The cherries are wet washed and fermented and then dried exclusively on sun dried patios in order to maintain a uniform quality and lot. Recommendation: Resting: 2+ weeks Espresso: 1:1.9-2.1, 94c 25-27s Filter: 1:16-1:17, 94c