Antigua Guatemala is a valley surrounded by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego y Acatenago. The Fuego Volcano is still active and every once in a while it erupts, adding a fresh dusting mineral rich ash to Antigua soil. This ash helps to retain the soil moisture and contributes to the coffee development.

The outstanding landscape, contains volcanic soil and a unique dry climate, which provides ideal conditions to produce one of the best coffees in the world.

This coffee comes to us via Zelcafe, a well respected Guatemalan milling operation and producer group led by Luis Pedro Zelaya. Zelcafe is comprised of small producers that come together at the Buena Vista Mill to blend their separated varieties and lots to create a truly special Antigua coffee.

Zelcafe's mission and standard to continually produce some of the region's highest quality coffees are rooted not only in producing specialty coffee, but in making a positive impact on the environment as well. The management of the mill and partnering farms includes the management of water use, vegetal nutrition, the prevention and control of plagues, sicknesses and a strict control of shade.

Coffee is divided and processed by lots. The lots are divided according to the varietal, altitude and day of picking. Buena Vista micromill is where it is depulped, fermented, washed and dried. The drying process is done on patios or in a greenhouse.

The parchment, or 'pergamino,' is then stored in the Zelcafe warehouse, awaiting the dry mill process. The parchment is removed and the green coffee is sorted with a BRIX meter, bagged, and sent to our warehouse in Roseville, MN where we prepare it to ship in neat 50-pound boxes.