Fátima - Mexico 2019 Verified listing

About the Farm Finca Fatima is a 20-hectare family coffee farm just minutes away from Coatepec, Veracruz. Its terroir belongs to the cloud forest corridor where the first arabica varietals were introduced to Mexico. Fatima’s coffee cultivars are composed of the following varietals: Garnica, Caturra, Marsellesa and Typica. This farm protects the complex biodiversity of the region which constantly regenerates nutrient rich soil. Over 15 wood fruit tree varietals both provide shade and shelter to a wide range of bird and animal species. The plantation also hosts two water springs, endemic flowers and ancient tree ferns native to the mesophilic forest. History Finca Fatima was acquired during the second coffee crisis back in the 1970s by Antonio Orea and Genoveva Perez-Redondo, later inherited by her only daughter Givette Orea. In 2010, the farm was replanted and redesigned using single-varietal parcels and high quality, rust-resistant hybrids. Fatima’s coffee was used as a high-quality commodity lot until 2018 when Givette and Ernesto - both third-generation producers - decided to enter the specialty coffee market. In 2019, Finca Fatima becomes a Cup of Excellence winner with a score of 89.41 points using the criolla typica varieties of Coatepec. Farm Management and Coffee Processing The coffee farm Finca Fatima’s management begins in the nursery where coffee seeds are germinated, develop roots and after six months grow into small plants. Two or three years later, these plants grow into mature coffee trees which produce high quality coffee cherries. Fatima’s coffee takes around 8 months to reach perfect ripeness after flowering. Coffee cherries are selectively picked and sorted before being transported to the mill. The coffee mill Finca Fatima’s coffee is processed at APG Coffee Mill just minutes away from the farm. APG’s mill combines traditional coffee processing methodologies with high-tech, ecological Pinhalense machinery. With this technology, floaters and unripe cherries are removed from the process and parchment is slowly dehydrated to protect the embryo’s life. During fermentation, pH and oxygen levels are manipulated to achieve complex profiles in the cup. APG mill is concerned with sustainability. Therefore, fresh coffee cascara is sun dried to make infusion products and some of it is also transformed into humus, which is later used as a natural fertilizer for the cultivars. Along the production, transformation and commercialization chain, Finca Fatima, APG Mill and APG Prime Imports benefit over 85 families dedicated to coffee in Coatepec, Veracruz. Future Projects Finca Fatima currently produces 100 metric tons of coffee cherry annually and hopefully will reach 150 by 2020. New varietal parcels are under experimentation using Gesha, SL-28, SL-34 and other Ethiopian genetics. In processing, APG performed controlled anaerobic and carbonic fermentations - and will explore yeast and lactic processes in 2020’s harvest.