GUATEMALA

ERWIN ARGUETA

BLACK CHERRY, RED DELICIOUS APPLE + BRULEE SUGAR, CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE

BEAN DETAILS:

ORIGIN: Finca Bella Elizabeth, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
PRODUCER: Erwin Argueta
ELEVATION: 1450 - 1600 masl
PROCESS: Fully washed and dried on raised beds
VARIETY: Bourbon, Caturra
TASTING NOTES: Black cherry, red delicious apple, creamy chocolate milkshake, toffee
ROAST TYPE: Light

Farm Level

Erwin Argueta - Finca Bella Elizabeth, Huehuetenango

Family Legacy and Motivation

Erwin is a third-generation coffee grower and perhaps the most motivated and curious, self-described "hustler" coffee producer we work with in Huehuetenango. His grandmother María Figueroa de Argueta first purchased the farm from the municipality of Chiantla in 1953 and planted Typica, Bourbon, and Maragogype trees. She passed the farm down to her son Erwin Sr., who planted more trees, including Caturra, Pache Verde, and Pache Rojo.

Erwin took on the family farm's administration in 2004 after his father passed away, naming the farm Finca Bella Elizabeth after his young daughter, Ana Elizabeth. Despite climate change, low local market prices, and production challenges, he has focused on specialty coffee and prioritized quality—upgrading processing equipment, hiring technical experts to advise on ecological management, and working to be a good steward of the land.

Varieties and Current Challenges

These days, Erwin cultivates several different coffee varieties, including Catimor, Bourbon, Caturra, Gesha, Maragogype, Pacamara, Villa Sarchi, and even a few trees from some SL-28 seeds. His more exotic variety trees are mostly still young and not yet producing enough to export.

His biggest challenge lately has been managing labor on his farm. Across Guatemala—especially in Huehuetenango, which is so close to the border with Mexico—labor is tight as workers continue migrating to the US in search of better economic opportunities. For farms like Erwin's that rely more on paid labor (as opposed to family labor), it's been difficult to find workers, and labor costs have increased. Unpredictable weather shifts from climate change have added an additional layer of complication to the harvest season.

Farm Management

Erwin manages the farm without herbicides, preferring to manage weeds with a machete to protect the soil from erosion and to protect and increase microbial populations in the soil. He uses natural traps to catch coffee borer beetles (which cause broca) and applies a leaf spray to protect against coffee leaf rust. He maintains natural water treatment wells that treat washing water in three phases to ensure he's not dumping dirty, acidic honey water onto the farm. He's also working with the local council on an agroforestry project to conserve native trees on his farm.

Erwin is interested in adjusting his agricultural practices toward a more organic management style, but he's understandably hesitant to make too many big adjustments for something that represents his livelihood. He's concerned about decreasing efficiency, having to pay more for labor hours, and he's experimented with a worm compost system twice, only to have the worms die both times.

Processing Methods

Processing on the farm is traditional and not highly technified. He floats the cherries to remove over- and under-ripe cherries, then pulps the coffee and ferments it in an open tank (protected by a roof providing shade) for about 18 hours before washing the coffee, sorting it through channels, and drying it on his patio. He's been experimenting with a few other processes as well, producing both honey and natural lots and drying them on raised beds.

He recently upgraded his fermentation tank from a wooden tank to a newly installed cement tank and fixed up his washing channels to include ceramic tiles, which make them easier to keep clean.