Charging Through Chiapas

Guadalupe Zajú

My companion, Irais Carrera, and I arrived in Tapachula (major city in Chiapas) in the afternoon after my flight from Oaxaca. We grab lunch before heading up the mountain to visit Guadalupe Zajú, a wondrous coffee estate in the mountains of Chiapas. Immediately, the landscape becomes lush with forests and coffee. The sun sets high above as we teeter between Mexico and Guatemala. That night, the sun was blood red.

We finally arrive at the Estate and are greeted by some staff. We are shown our rooms, which are beautifully decorated, wood, wicker, and plenty of coffee-related paintings. A quick salad for dinner, then rest for the following day. The birds, bugs, and frogs lull me to sleep.

I was awoken at 2am to a thunderous earthquake. Submerged in sleep, I awoke with a start, and feared the whole house was going to crumble and I somehow fall back asleep.

*Guadalupe Zajú processing area, Chiapas*

In the morning, I meet with Irais, where we gossip about the crazy earthquake (I nearly forgot about it) as we feast on fruit, plantains, and coffee. Jose Javier soon joins us and begins to tell me his story.

He has been the manager here at Guadalupe Zajú for five years, including the neighboring farms of Chanjul and La Gloria. Zajú is an astounding 300 hectares in total – 100 hectares under forest, 150 hectares under coffee, and the rest for the facilities and other projects.

The farm was purchased in 2004 and completely renovated by its owner, Teddy Esteve. It was first planted with coffee nearly 80 years ago. Currently, the whole Estate is 70% Marsellesa, 20% hybrids, and 10% Star Maya, a new varietal whose fruit provides the seeds for the nursery. The land stretches from 900 – 1,600 meters above sea level.

This is a grand operation, so I learn, with plenty of people to fuel the machine. 30 employees live here full-time, and are provided with housing, food, clean water, a church, and a small school for the young children. 150 pickers come from Guatemala during the harvest to pick the cherries and assist with processing. Zajú maintains excellent processing facilities to dry 660,000 kg of coffee (2022/23); 10% of which is natural, the rest washed.

A woman named Ericka joins us, she is the manager for the whole Estate, and has been working here for 9 years. Our adventure begins as we first visit the small school for the children of the employees. During the off season, there are only 13 students, but this number increases to 30 during the harvest. There is one teacher who lives on the Estate. She greets us with a smile as the children shyly say hello.

Onwards to visit Chanjul, the massive Estate neighboring Zajú. This land is 200 hectares in total, with 150 hectares under coffee. There is a mix of Hybrids (H16) and Marsellesa here. The H16 plantation has been growing for two years and so far, is doing quite well, taking less time to produce fruit than usual plants.

After a quick tour and walk around, we gazed at a view of Zajú, and I learned that the Estate was once covered with Bourbon and Caturra. But due to roya, the trees were renovated to adapt and continue producing.

Upon our return, we made a detour to visit the processing facilities. These are grand, with exceptional machinery, able to process many tons of coffee during the harvest. All coffee from each of Teddy’s estates are processed here. Everything is labeled, organized and clean. It is here also that the small portion of the Estate’s coffee is processed naturally. This project has been going on for five years, and there are now 360 beds to evenly dry the cherries in the Chiapas sun. There is even a building with a retractable roof to control the amount of sunlight and protect the coffee from the rain. This was an exceptional invention!

*Gonzalo Lopez Barrios,* *Guadalupe Zajú, Chiapas*

We ventured deeper into the facilities, and I saw the six Guardiolas used for drying the washed coffee. Outside, we walk further down the road and meet Gonzalo Lopez Barrios, a Guatemalan who has been working at Zajú for many years, simply in charge of weaving bamboo to make baskets for picking coffee. We watched him weave, mesmerized, for quite some time.

Lastly, we visit the nursery as the sun continues to beat down on us. This nursery has been around for 15 years and is growing Marsellesa and H16 for the Estate. Mario Morales greets us and mentions he has been here since the beginning. There are endless amounts of seedlings, all labelled and beautifully organized.

*Jose Javier with seedling,* *Guadalupe Zajú, Chiapas*

There is even a small area for the development of Pacamara trees, something new and not normal for Mexico. I am nearly melting from the heat, and we soon head back to the house to cool off and have some coffee.

After this, we are driven back to Tapachula, thus concluding our visit to Zajú. Such a huge Estate, something far different from the other farms in Chiapas, and Mexico, but great to see, nonetheless. Other farms could follow suit, and renovate like Teddy, but we shall see.

Irais and I arrive at our hotel, work a bit, then meet for a late dinner. Rain begins to fall in buckets, clashes of thunder nearly break my eardrums. I feel so much energy and excitement, but fear. The lightning is bright and cracks the earth. The power goes out, and we giggle in the dark as we wait to actually order food. We had a feast of guacamole, salads, olives, and some salsa. And some wine. It was beautiful. We said goodnight and prepared for the next day. A great friendship was brewing…

GRAPOS

In the morning, I meet Irais at the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Our day is solely dedicated to a visit with GRAPOS, a large coffee cooperative based in the southern reaches of Chiapas, working to provide producers with support and access to markets.

We are joined by Ludy, the general manager for the GRAPOS coffee cooperative, Hugo, the GRAPOS warehouse manager, and Abelardo, the president of the GRAPOS cooperative. As we sip coffee, they tell me more about the amazing cooperative that was founded in 2007 and supported by AMSA. Today, the cooperative has 4,601 members, 1,203 of which are women.

With regards to staff members, there are 37 in total, with 16 women. This includes administration, mill workers, and 20 agronomists. They work with 369 communities in 9 municipalities, encompassing 14,834 hectares, spanning from 480 – 1,800 meters above sea level. The average farm size s 2.5 hectares with a mix of Marsellesa and some other varieties such as Catimor, Costa Rica, and Bourbon. SMS is working with the cooperative by assisting with the replanting of trees with Marsellesa, and cataloguing each of the producers into the online database, SMS Integrity.

Our first visit is to Severo Escalante Roblero’s farm in Union Juarez. The volcano Tacaná towers above. We arrive in the community of Talquian, the last before the mountains become Guatemala. Severo greets us and we sit in his home as we learn the history of his farm.

Severo’s parents and grandparents grew coffee, so he was raised immersed in coffee farms and learned about everything that went into growing coffee from his family. His farm is three hectares, growing a variety of Marsellesa and Costa Rica 95 with some Hybrids. He joined GRAPOS two years after its start, and has been with the organization for 12 years. The cooperative helped him learn to replant his Bourbon and Arabe with Marsellesa, to help with the spread of roya.

*Severo Escalante Roblero’s farm, Chiapas*

The farm is completely organic, as are all of the GRAPOS farms, and he uses compost to fertilize the already rich and volcanic soil. An agronomist from GRAPOS visits his farm once a year. These agronomists will also host group trainings, to teach producers about new methods of cultivation.

Severo mentions that the rains are later, and temperatures are hotter compared to other years, yet there is cloud cover in the latter parts of the day. He uses some shade, some chaullum trees, with large leaves that help fertilize the soils.

*Severo Escalante Roblero walking, Chiapas*

We descend down the road and climb down to his farm, La Loma, where we see his lush trees, surrounded by banana and various native vegetation. Severo tells us that he hires 6-8 pickers during the harvest to assist with picking and processing. All processing is done at his home. He has five children, four of which have left to study in cities and work to make more money. Yet, one son remained to help and one day take over the farm. This is usually the case for producers, their children tend to leave, yearning for something bigger and better.

*Severo Escalante Roblero home, Chiapas*

Our visit concludes as the clouds roll over the sky, providing us with a cool breeze and a farewell.

We descend down the mountain and pick up a small woman named Idolina in San Jose. A bit further up the road, and we arrive at her farm, Los Aguacates. She gives a short presentation of her farm, saying it is 2.5 hectares in size, and she bought the land 20 years ago, with assistance from her father on how to farm the land. He also taught her how to maintain a nursery for the coffee trees she has planted. She grew up learning from him and their family farm in a different community.

Ten years ago, she joined GRAPOS to gain assistance with new plants and organic certification. She has two sons and one daughter – one of the sons helps on the farm. She hires five pickers during the harvest to carry the coffee down to her home to be washed and dried.

Five years ago, there was severe roya, and she replanted some of her trees. Currently, she has Catimor, Bourbon and Marsellesa, but hopes to renovate more with assistance from GRAPOS to grow more Marsellesa. Already, though, thanks to their support, she has seen higher yields.

Challum trees are also used in Inacio’s land as shade and to help fertilize the soils naturally. On the drive back, she tells us that she is helping in the community government, helping to gather funding for various projects. This woman does it all!

We run into Encarnacion Perez Miranda, another GRAPOS producer, and he waves us down so we stop to chat. His farm, El Naranjo, is 2.5 hectares in size, with Bourbon, Arabe, Oro Azteca, and some Marsellesa. His father was first a member with GRAPOS, and he learned from him to join the organization with his farm. His sons are young, not yet ready to help with the farm. Therefore, he hires 2-3 pickers to help during the harvest.

*Ludy, Idolina, Encarnacion,* Abelardo, Hugo, Chiapas

He is working to combat roya with new varietals and composting methods, with some support from the government.

As we say goodbye, the clouds are heavy, the sun somewhere behind, and I realize the mountain of obstacles these producers face with not only growing coffee, but getting workers, keeping their children on the farms, and getting government support. This is why GRAPOS is so important and vital for the future of coffee in Mexico.

Inacio is dropped off at her home and we drive to visit the GRAPOS warehouse for a short presentation. This warehouse is among a number of others throughout Chiapas. All of them deliver coffee to the AMSA warehouse nearby, where it is milled and prepared for export. Last year, from all of GRAPOS, there was 225,031 quintales of Arabica (45,693 of Robusta) – 106,417 of which is organic. Some of the new members are still undergoing audits hence why not all the coffee is certified organic.

Ludy talks us through the many locations, the goals and mission of GRAPOS – such a strong and positive organization, completely dedicated to these producers, the environment, and quality.

We are dropped off at our hotel and realize we are in need of something cold to drink. The hotel makes us sparkling water beverages with lime and salt. So amazing and refreshing! We then part ways to do some work and meet later for dinner. Irais and I sit outside in the cool air, a storm had just passed with lightning and thunder, so the air was fresh. We feast on a similar meal of snacks and talk about the last couple of days. My heart is heavy because she will be leaving me tomorrow, but I am grateful to have made such a great friend who has taught me so much during this trip.

The following days, I spend visiting cacao farms, which will be a separate article. I then spend two more days in Chiapas and they go as follows…

After my grand cacao adventure, I am transferred to the city of Tuxtla, the capital of Chiapas. I arrive in the evening at a surprisingly nice Marriot. It was so peaceful, I feasted on nuts and some chocolate from the cacao lab for dinner and had a beautiful rest in my giant fluffy bed.

The following morning, I am trucked to Jaltenango, a mountainous coffee-producing region in Chiapas. I spend my time with an SMS technician and some other staff from AMSA. I meet with a group of women producers who each tell me their story about how they came to own farms and grow coffee. I am always impressed and interested in the women growing coffee because they tend their farms and also have to maintain a home. So amazing!

We then travel further up the mountain, and I meet with a single producers, who talks to me about how his production has increased thanks to renovation with Marsellesa and the support from SMS. A common theme…

Rain begins to pour as we head back to the main center of Jaltenango. The mill where we met and departed from also has a large yellow guest house. This will be my home for the evening. I am deposited here…alone…hungry…so interesting…so I run to the Oxxo across the street, and have another nut feast before going to bed. The heavy rain and thunder roar as I drift.

In the morning, I awake in the large yellow house, and prepare for the day. It is Saturday, so not too much planned. I have some mango and am transferred back to Tuxtla. I visit a dry mill where the coffee is hulled and bagged for export. Such an intricate and important piece of the supply chain! Dusty, loud, but so organized.

And then I am deposited back at the Marriot in Tuxtla! Joyous moment being able to rest and relax. Time to reflect and think about Chiapas. I wander around the city as the sun sets, visit a cafe for an iced coffee, and drink these sparkling water beverages that are flavored with lime and salt, like the drink I had in Tapachula!

As I drift to sleep…I feel so overjoyed at all of my experiences. But so much yearning to do more for Mexico. I then realize that Jaltenango was my last coffee farm in Mexico…back to Mexico City in the morning and then off to El Salvador…

Cacao Forests of Mexico

Mountains of Mixteca