Tepetzinla - Puebla, Mexico

Regional Context

The Tepetzinla area is located in the municipality of Tetela de Ocampo in Puebla, Mexico. This area is characterized by extensive coniferous forests, home to many wild animals such as squirrels, hawks, owls, and snakes. The population is predominantly indigenous—70% speak Nahuatl and maintain various ancestral traditions and customs, with many people still wearing traditional clothing.

The main economic driver in the area is agriculture, with coffee, chili peppers, beans, and tomatoes being the most commonly cultivated crops.

Growing Environment and Practices

The area is planted with Garnica, Mundo Novo, and Costa Rica varieties. Producers fertilize their plants with commercial fertilizers like NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and foliar fertilizers. Farms are very small, so there's no need for producers to hire outside harvesters.

Coffee growers here are deeply committed to environmental protection, which is why they avoid using chemicals to control weeds. Instead, they control them manually with a machete in a practice called "chapeo." Typically, the houses and coffee washing centers are located in the city center, while the farms sit high in the mountains, so farmers and their families must carry the coffee down from the mountaintops to the washing stations.

These coffees are grown in a densely forested river valley on steep gradients. They're not just shade-grown—they're cultivated in the midst of a cool, lush tropical forest.

Puebla's Rising Prominence

Over the years, Puebla has quietly become one of the most important producing regions in Mexico and has surpassed Oaxaca in terms of productivity. One thing that makes the state of Puebla unique in Mexico is its support for producers with agronomic education and resources. For instance, one project provided collapsible raised drying beds with ventilated airflow systems for producers to dry their coffee more evenly and consistently. This level of assistance is well above and beyond what we've seen for smallholder producers in Mexico, and it has materially impacted cup quality.

One thing the government hasn't done is help producers sell their coffee. That's where we're able to step in and close the circle by bringing these to market.

Our Partnership and Offerings

2023 was our first year buying from Puebla, and the potential is palpable. We're excited to make sure these coffees get the differentiation they deserve and look forward to growing this relationship for years to come.

We're offering community lots for high-end blends as well as premium community ID and producer ID lots, with full traceability at all tiers. These communities are working toward organic certification, and this is the first year they're exporting their coffee in order to increase profitability and capture more value.