Finca San Lorenzo, Guatemala | ESPRESSO

Located near the town of San Cristóbal Verapaz, in the cool, rainy reaches of Cobán, Guatemala, Finca San Lorenzo nestles in the verdant hills at around 1,500 metres above sea level. San Lorenzo is the Valdés family’s second farm, purchased in 1987 as a sort of ‘little brother’ to another of our favourite Guatemala farms, Santa Isabel. When Lorenzo was first bought, there was only one small plot of land under coffee. Today, the family have developed 20 different lots under coffee, covering 110 hectares of the farm. The
remaining 35 hectares are under forest cover, which the family is managing in a very interesting way. The Valdés family have generations of coffee farming experience under their wings. Finca San Isabel was first acquired by Luis Valdes II’s great-grandfather in 1875, when the land was granted to the Valdés family by Guatemala's President; however, the farm was passed out of the hands of the family when it was inherited by a nephew who sold it to a third party. It took time for the farm to return to the Valdés family, who took charge again in 1960 when Luis Valdes I purchased it, bringing it back into the family. He started the coffee plantation in 1965. Don Luis and his son - also named Luis (nicknamed ‘Wicho’) - manage the farms as general and agricultural manager, respectively. Luis’s other son, Rodrigo, helps manage Agricola Valmar, the family export business. Now the brothers’ children (Luis’s grandchildren), spend their school holidays at the farm, much as their fathers did when they were young. It is a true family business, run with love and devotion….. and a lot of expertise!

When Don Luis first planted Santa Isabel, Cobán didn’t necessarily have a reputation for high-quality coffee, due in part to the fact that coffee from the region must often be mechanically dried because of the humid climate. Don Luis and Wicho, however, knew that the region had more to offer. By placing their attention on improved cultivation techniques and perfecting their drying practices, they succeeded transforming the quality of their coffee over the course of the last decade, even succeeding in placing Guatemala’s Cup of Excellence twice! San Lorenzo bears much in common with Santa Isabel – perhaps not surprising since it lies only 5 miles away! The farm’s Caturra and Catuaí production is indistinguishable in the cup from Santa Isabel’s. In addition, approximately 50% of San Lorenzo is planted under Sarchimor, a hybrid of the Costa Rican Villa Sarchi and Timor Hybrid. Thanks to its ascendant, Hibrido de Timor, the plant
is resistant to coffee leaf rust and berry or stem borer. Grown at this higher altitude, the cup quality is also excellent.