Guatemala Rosma
The Farm
Rosma Farm was first purchased by Fredy Morales in 1963 and later in 1980, his son Alejandro Morales took over the farm and renamed it Rosma, after his own wife, Rosa Maria.
When Fredy took over the farm in 1963, the only way to transport coffee was by mule. Together with nearby community leaders, Fredy and the community built a road that makes it easier for producers to transport coffee to market. Another project Fredy undertook was the construction of a pipeline that brings fresh water to the farm from a spring about 5 kilometers away.
Later, his son Alejandro took over the farm. Today, the farm is run by both Fredy and his sons. The Rosma team are Cup of Excellence winners and their dedication to producing high-quality coffees is evident in every batch they produce.
At the World of Coffee fair in Milan we had the great opportunity to meet Alejandro in person and it just so happened that he was coming to spend a few days in Barcelona with his wife. We immediately exchanged numbers so he could come and visit the roastery. At the end of June he visited us and told us about the wonderful project that is Finca Rosma.
Process
The Morales are meticulous in selecting and processing only the best coffees so they do a purely selective harvest of the ripe cherries.
Once the ripe cherry is picked it is placed in bags where it ferments slightly for 24 hours. The cherry is then washed in clean water and floated to remove any ripe bottoms. The cherry is then placed on raised pallets to dry for approximately 5-6 days before moving onto parabolic dryers for a further 25-28 days. The cherry is frequently raked to ensure even drying for a total of 29 days of drying.
While coffee arrived in Guatemala in the late 18th century, as with much of the Central and South American colonies, its cultivation began to gain traction in the 1860s, with the arrival of European immigrants encouraged by the Guatemalan government to establish plantations.
Coffee seeds and cuttings were distributed as a stimulus, as the country’s main export crop (indigo) had recently failed, leaving the population somewhat desperate to find an agricultural replacement. By the end of the 19th century, Guatemala was exporting more than 140 tons of coffee a year. Until 2011, it was among the world’s five largest coffee producers, although in recent years it has been overtaken by Honduras.
A large percentage of Guatemala’s population, and therefore also the coffee sector, identifies with one of more than 20 officially recognized indigenous groups and most farmers are small coffee growers working independently of each other, or formally affiliated in cooperative associations.
In 1960, coffee growers developed their own union, which has since grown into the national coffee institute Anacafé (National Coffee Association), a research center, marketing agent and financial organization that provides loans and offers support to producers in different regions.
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