Abel Sánchez
Amatenango de la Frontera

Located at 1,600 meters above sea level in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. This Beneficio Comunitario is a group of micro-producers who want to face the same challenge: to confront the highly extractive agriculture that commodity buyers are shaping in the region. They also want to restore the value of the classic arabica varieties and not be satisfied with the trend to introduce high-yielding varieties. These independent farmers are accompanied by Jesus Salazar (Cafeologo) and his team. Their goal: to promote sustainable coffee growing by involving producers from Mayan communities and to value their work through the prism of quality. 

Located in the southwest of Mexico, the Chiapas region has a contrasting landscape of coasts, valleys, mountains and tropical forests. Coffee is grown at altitudes of between 1,300 and 1,700 meters above sea level. It is one of the most important coffee producing regions in Mexico, accounting for 40% of the country's total production. Significantly, Chiapas shares a border with Guatemala's famous Huehuetenango region, which has a significant influence on the coffee's aromatic profile.

The climatic conditions in Chiapas make for rich and varied agriculture. Coffee and cocoa are grown here, as well as bananas, corn, mangoes, honey and cane sugar. Mexico is a diverse and challenging coffee-growing region. It is home to many indigenous communities: Maya, Tseltal, Tzotzil, Ch'ol, Tojol-ab... farmers who are proud of their heritage and their unique varieties, which date back several centuries. Most of the coffee plantations are family-run and there is a growing number of solidarity-based cooperatives. In short, this is a region rich in culinary, cultural and geographical diversity!