Coffee Program

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One of the newest projects is the exportation of first quality coffee under the name ¨Juan-Ana¨ which was initiated thanks to Fr. Schaffer´s efforts in 1992. Julio Morales is the man in charge of this project which includes a small coffee processing facility, an office, and a storage area on the farm. The coffee is subject to a selection process and strict quality controls at each step of the process, the result of which is a first class coffee for export.
In addition to the coffee harvested on the farm, the project buys coffee produced by selected families in the community on their own land to help them obtain a just market price at the time of harvest.
The following list shows the number of families from whom the project buys coffee:
115 families from the village of Chitulul
175 families from San Lucas Tolimán
9 families from San Juan La Laguna
11 families from Pampojilá
2 families from the village of San Martín
1 family from the village of Panimaquip
2 families from the village of San Gabriel

Julio Morales is assisted in processing the coffee by Miguel Hernández, Daniel Xep, and Alberto Chiroy. The process involves first removing the beans from the pulp, ten drying the beans, removing the husk, sorting and, finally, roasting and grinding the finished product. The total annual production is approximately 200,000 to 300,000 pounds of ripe coffee which, after processing produces about 40,000 pounds of beans for export.
A small demonstration area has been built in the coffee processing facility to show the different types of coffee and the tools used in harvest and processing. This is important so that our visitors can learn more about where their coffee comes from. The different varieties of coffee processed by the farm over the years are: Bourbon, Caturra, Pache, Catual, and Catimor.
By exporting the coffee to Minnesota, the parish helps the producers to sell their coffee at a good price and prevents the big coffee processors from taking advantage of the small producers. When the coffee arrives in Minnesota, it is distributed by Kathy and Ken Huebert in New Ulm. They in turn distribute it to many schools, universities, churches, and individuals as well as to Beth and Martin Meidl who sell the coffee with their Christmas gift project.

For over ten years the Mission has been selling the best coffee in Guatemala and exporting it throughout the United States. Working with a cooperative of small growers, the Mission ensures that these workers receive better than fair trade prices for their harvest, over triple the national average. The street price for 100 pounds of coffee is Q 60.00. This gives very little income to families. We buy coffee at Q 200.00 per 100 pounds. We ensure the finest beans and closely monitor the quality of the coffee. We are also involved in every level of coffee production: from picking the coffee fruit to drying it, from sorting and roasting the beans to grinding them. Our coffee is packaged in colorful cloth bags created by the residents of San Lucas. The entire coffee program, from the cultivation of the beans to the sewing of the bags, is entirely geared to supporting the local economy, providing just wages for the people of San Lucas, and producing the finest coffee Guatemala has to offer

The Price of coffee is:

$ 7.00 per Pound

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