NW - Finca Tlaixco - Mexico 2026

My name is Alba Antonia García Guerra, a 70-year-old widow from the high-mountain region of Zongolica, Veracruz. For over four decades, I used my land solely for subsistence farming—growing corn, beans, and squash—deeply bound by the traditional local belief that coffee simply could not produce at such high altitudes. Instead, I spent years supporting my late husband’s coffee operations in the lower valleys, cooking for the workers and helping with the seasonal harvest. When he passed away, his properties were inherited by my children, leaving me at a crossroads. Refusing to settle, I listened to a colleague who mentioned a variety that thrived in cold, high-altitude microclimates: Geisha. At an age when many step back, I chose to leap forward, embarking on an ambitious experimental adventure to transform Finca El Tlaixco into a sanctuary for high-altitude specialty coffee.

Adapting the exotic Geisha variety to our unique terroir, nestled between 1,300 and 1,500 meters above sea level, was an incredibly difficult process marked by steep learning curves and climatic adversity. Yet, our rigorous agricultural micro-management eventually yielded spectacular results. This specific competition lot represents the pinnacle of our farm’s technical success. Following a strict manual harvest of peak-ripeness cherries between February and April, the coffee underwent a precisely monitored 24-hour fermentation process to optimize its enzymatic development and flavor clarity. The farm is currently in the process of official organic certification, a testament to our sustainable and clean management practices.

For me, entering the prestigious Cup of Excellence is far more than a personal milestone; it is the ultimate validation that years of sacrifice, daily physical fatigue, and intense dedication were entirely worth it. This triumph is shared equally with the dedicated workers who support me every day in maintaining the estate, proving that the high mountains of Zongolica hold a world-class coffee profile. Sharing our coffee under our family brand, El café del mapache, and showcasing this pristine, elegant Geisha lot to the global specialty community is a gift for which I am profoundly grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.