Coffee Plantation Tour

Okay, so I’m already getting a little behind in my blogging, but I am enjoying myself immensely, and doing a bunch of studying, too, so I’m going to be easy on myself…..

This past weekend, I went with a group to tour a cooperative coffee plantation run by 40 local families in a fertile, semi-tropical (maybe cloud forest) valley about two hours from Xela, where I’m staying (which is in the highlands - much cooler and drier). To get there, we traveled in a cramped little minivan for 1 ½ hours, then transferred to a pick up trip owned by the farm for the last ½ hour of the trip. The “pick-ope” is a standard mode of transportation in Guatemala. They build a frame of pipes in the bed of the truck so that as many people as can stand or hang on to the back of the truck can be packed in. It was really pretty fun, the first of several trips by “pick-ope” I’ve been able to enjoy on this trip.

The story on this coffee plantation (called “Nuestra Alianza“, which means “Our Alliance”) is very interesting, but a little long and complicated to relate here. The result of the story is that after years of neglect, abuse, and unpaid back pay by the rich landowner guy who basically abandoned it, the forty families who lived on and worked the land were able to gain control of it, and are operating it as a co-op. with their own set of established rules and governance. In addition to picking and processing the coffee beans, they harvest and process macadamia nuts, make furniture from the bamboo that they have planted there, and process their own bio-diesel for use on the farm. It’s an inspiring story, and even though they are struggling, they are getting it done.

We got to do a couple of hikes, with a guide who pointed out the various plants they are able to use for food and medicine, see the coffee and macadamia nut processing, learn how they produce the bio-diesel, and even pick coffee beans like the locals. We spent the night in a simple bunkhouse in bunk beds and were served meals on an open veranda with great views….. All just the way I like it! All of the other people in the group were twenty-somethings, who were very nice and didn’t seem to mind having an old dude around…. I met some great people, and as it turned out, four of them were from Seattle! It was a fun trip, and good to get out of town for a few days, but I have to say that the return to the refreshing air of the highlands was welcome.

Baby coffee plants in the nursery





Spreading the coffee beans out to dry (notice the volcano spewing smoke in the background).