PPP Coffee Guatemala Finca Rosma / Fredy Morales

Country/Region: Guatemala/Huehuetenango

Varietal: Bourbon

Processing: Honey

Elevation: 1500 - 1850 m.a.s.l.

We Taste: White Grape, Honey, Orange Blossom

Having placed multiple times in the annual Cup of Excellence competition in Guatemala, Finca Rosma is an award-winning farm under the care of Dr. Fredy Morales. The farm is shade grown, allowing the native forest and wildlife to thrive.

Purchased by Don Alejandro Morales in 1963, Finca Rosma grew old bourbon and typically trees. His son, Fredy Morales took over the plantation in 1980, naming the farm Rosma, in honour of his wife, Rose Mary. Back then, there was no road to the farm, and coffee cherry was transported by mules over long distances over an hour. Fredy and the community came together to build a road to the farm, as well as bringing fresh spring water through a pipeline 5km away from the farm.

Fredy Morales also worked to build the facilities necessary for processing coffee, and now they have an ecologic wet mill (using less water) to process high quality coffee. In recent years, the plantation has also been renewed with new varieties such as Hybrid H1, Pacamara, Gesha, SL28 and Maragogype.

Fredy also emphasises two basic criteria for his farm - environmental and social responsibility, providing housing, schooling and medical assistance to employees of the farm. Today, Fredy works with his son, Alejandro Jr., who continues the passion of his father and grandfather.

During harvest, ripe red cherry is selectively handpicked and rested in a tank for 24 hours. Then the cherry is washed in clean water and sorted to remove any under- or over-ripes. Thereafter, the coffee is pulped, leaving some of the mucilage on, and laid out on raised beds to sundry for 2-3 days. The parchment is moved to parabolic dryers for slow drying of 8-11 days, totalling 10-14 days of drying.