Greeted by Guatemala Part Two
As you know, I was in Guatemala having a bizarre adventure during a time of global uncertainty. I was lucky to be able to get on a plane, travel to a foreign country, and be guided into the unknown world of coffee. Here is the second part of my journey…
My morning began in my strange abode that I selected amongst numerous hotel options in Guatemala. Aparamento Reformas was the name - and it was the most interesting little apartment with white-tiled floors and a sweet doorman.
I was collected here early in order to obtain a virus test to be able to get into El Salvador. I will not go into specifics here - but due to some trouble at the border, I was unable to enter the Pupusa capital and visit a couple of farms. Thus…today’s adventures were altered.
Venturing back to the City, I was greeted by Victor Calderon, a middle-aged and eccentric coffee farmer. As soon as I settled in the vehicle, Victor began to tell me the story of his farm, Finca El Tambor, our destination for the journey. Named “The Drum” due to the sound reverberating through the mountains as water dried out within, creating a drum beat that gave the farm its iconic name.
Victor grew up in a coffee-producing family, mainly Robusta in the south, and yearned to own an Arabica farm to grow higher quality coffee that he could sell. Once he heard this famed El Tambor was for sale, he immediately made an offer. The previous owner was not pleased with the offer, and asked for him to include his car. So…now carless, Victor was the owner of a new coffee farm, situated in the surrounding mountains within a town called Palencia, just outside of the City. That was the early 2000s.
As the large blue Mercedes powered us through the City and up into the mountains, Victor pulls out a packed lunch prepared by his wife and entices me with freshly squeezed juice. We remove our masks and dive into the feast. He goes on to talk about the farm and its struggles. Coffee Leaf Rust, or La Roya, as you know, has been threatening coffee production in Central America for decades, and began to hit his farm. Victor attempted to understand the bright orange spore and yearned to defeat it.
Years before Victor came to own El Tambor, the owner sold property rights to a mining company that excavated small portions of the farm, leaving open mountain faces and a plethora of…clay. Now…this clay was more of a nuisance than anything - remaining on Victor’s car after washing and getting all over everything. After careful consideration, he realized this clay could be a solution to his Rust problem. The fungus thrives on the underbelly of the large, waxy coffee leaf, and spreads in warm and moist environments. Victor created a mixture with the clay and other solutions to spray on his crop. Immediately, he saw results. The Rust began to die away, and the spread was minimized.
At this point, we reach the town of Palencia, filled with small Tiendas and large fruit and vegetable plots that almost looked like wine vineyards. I questioned these strange vine-like plots and Victor mentions the locals in this area grow a squash variety called güisquil due to its high revenue potential. After peering closer at the vines - I noticed a large avocado-looking vegetable dangling below. Interesting.
We then reach the gates of El Tambor and I meet some of Victor’s employees as he mentions that he built houses for all of them and has given them a portion of land to grow fruits and vegetables. We see jungles of coffee and native trees and gaze out at beautiful views. I see the processing area, where a mound of coffee pulp sits, awaiting dispersement throughout the farm as a natural fertilizer.
An employee offers to brew me some coffee, and as I sip on the warm beverage, chickens peck about and dogs howl. This strange and unique farm has turned my attention towards the seriousness of Coffee Leaf Rust and how something from nature can aid coffee producers in the combat against it. I am also wondering what this myserteous güisquil tastes like…
The ride home is filled with wonder and more lectures from Victor as the fog sets in over the mountain. Coffee and its producers are pretty wild…stay tuned…
