6 - Tierra Amarilla - Mexico 2025 (Experimental)

We are the Producers of Specialty Coffee from Santa María Yucuhiti, a community deeply rooted in tradition, solidarity, and respect for nature. In our Mixteca region, cooperation is the foundation of life and coffee is more than a product—it is our legacy, our livelihood, and our way of connecting with future generations.

Led by Heladio García España and Flor Eva Pérez Cuevas, both engineers in community development and passionate coffee producers, we belong to the great Ñuu Savi nation. Together, we represent the fourth generation of coffee growers in Santa María Yucuhiti. Through a community-based approach, we work hand in hand with local producers—men and women—to share knowledge and constantly improve our practices, always with a focus on quality and sustainability.

Our coffee is grown in a unique relic of cloud forest, shaded by native trees like Huananche Rojo, Elite, and Huajinicuil, creating an ideal microclimate for growing exceptional coffee. We farm with love and deep respect for the land that has nurtured our families for generations.

The coffee we are proud to present comes from plots currently undergoing agroecological transition. We apply bio-inputs both in soil and on the plant, including Bocashi compost and specific microorganisms tailored to each phenological phase of the coffee plant. Pest and disease control is managed through ecological methods like the installation of traps and the application of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium fungi.

Our harvest is conducted through selective picking, choosing only ripe cherries with deep wine and burgundy tones and a sweetness above 20° Brix.

Before processing, our wet mill is carefully cleaned and sanitized using food-grade soap, ensuring hygienic handling of every lot. The coffee then undergoes a semi-washed experimental process, beginning with 48 hours of closed fermentation in cherry, followed by 12 hours in parchment. Throughout fermentation, we monitor pH, total dissolved solids, Brix, and temperature of the coffee juice to ensure consistency and quality. The beans are gently rinsed only once before drying.

Drying is done on mesh screens: one day under ambient sun, followed by 20 days in a solar dryer, with strict monitoring of grain temperature and humidity. Once stabilized, the coffee is stored in a dedicated, ventilated warehouse in hermetic bags inside jute sacks, where temperature and humidity are continuously monitored.

Coffee cultivation has been a part of our lives for over 70 years, spanning three generations. We have learned not only to grow coffee with respect for the environment, but to rediscover and adapt our methods to new understandings of what coffee can be. What began as humble cherry production has evolved into a journey of exploration and innovation—developing diverse processes to offer a wide range of specialty coffees to share with the world.

For us, coffee is culture, it is learning, and it is the bridge between the wisdom of the past and the promise of the future.