Coffee production in Guatemala

The Las Merceditas coffee plantation, San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta, Guatemala.

Coffee production began to develop in Guatemala in the 1850s. Coffee is an important element of Guatemala's economy.[1]

Guatemala was Central America's top producer of coffee for most of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, until being overtaken by Honduras in 2011.[1] Illegal exports to Honduras and Mexico are not reflected in official statistics.[2]

## Geography

[edit]

The most suitable temperature for the healthy growth and abundant production of coffee in Guatemala is that of 16 to 32 °C (60 to 90 °F). In lands situated at an altitude of 500–700 metres (1,600–2,300 ft) above sea level, young plants must be shaded.[3]

For the most part, the coffee plantations are situated at an altitude varying from 500 metres (1,600 ft) to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level. At elevations greater than 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), the plantations must be sheltered from the cold north winds.[3]

## History

[edit]

Indigenous workers on a coffee plantation, 1875.

The coffee industry began to develop in Guatemala in the 1850s and 1860s, initially mixing its cultivation with cochineal. Small plantations flourished in Amatitlán and Antigua areas in the southwest.[4] Initial growth though was slow due to lack of knowledge and technology. Many planters had to rely on loans and borrow from their families to finance their coffee estates (fincas) with coffee production in Guatemala increasingly owned by foreign companies who possessed the financial power to buy plantations and provide investment.[4]

A scarcity of laborers was the main obstacle to a rapid increase of coffee production in Guatemala. In 1887, the production was over 22,000,000 kg (48,500,000 lb). In 1891, it was over 24,000,000 kg (52,000,000 lb). From 1879 to 1883, Guatemala exported 133,027,289 kg (293,274,971 lb) pounds of coffee. By 1902 the most important coffee plantations were found on the southern coast.[3]

Many acres of land were suitable for this cultivation, and the varieties that were produced in the temperate regions were superior. Coffee was grown around Guatemala City, Chimaltenango, and Verapaz. The majority of the plantations were located in the departments of Guatemala, Amatitlan, Sacatepequez, Solola, Retalhuleu, Quezaltenango, San Marcos, and Alta Verapaz.[3]

## Anacafé

[edit]

Coffee beans being sorted, Guatemala.

Anacafé (Asociación Nacional del Café) was established in 1960 as a national coffee association, representing all coffee producers in Guatemala.[5] It was initiated by the precursors to the International Coffee Organization, as a way of centralizing statistics of the nation's coffee production as it continued the work of La Oficina Central del Café, previously established and operated by the central government which in turn was established in 1928.

Anacafé has established a Guatemalan Coffees brand and defined eight coffee regions under the slogan "A Rainbow of Choices". The regions are: Acatenango Valley, Antigua Coffee, Traditional Atitlan, Rainforest Coban, Fraijanes Plateau, Highland Huehue, New Oriente, and Volcanic San Marcos.[6]

Anacafé has built the Analab coffee laboratories, established a program for children called Funcafé, and publishes El Cafetal, a coffee magazine. Anacafé represents Guatemala in the International Coffee Organization's meetings and receives income only from service charges on exported coffee items.[7]

## Labor issues

[edit]

Research has shown that some of Guatemala's coffee producers used child labor in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.[8][9]

## See also

[edit]

* List of countries by coffee production

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Guerrero, Jean (July 29, 2011). "A Prince of the Coffee Bean Honduras Becomes Central America's Top Producer, Helping to Fuel Its Economy". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
2. ^ Information Services on Latin America (Oakland, Calif.) (January 1986). ISLA. I.S.L.A. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
3. ^ a b c d Pan American Union (1902). Coffee: extensive information and statistics (Public domain ed.). Govt. Print. Off. pp. 21–. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
4. ^ a b Clarence-Smith, W. G.; Topik, Steven (2003). The global coffee economy in Africa, Asia and Latin America, 1500-1989. Cambridge University Press. p. 191\. ISBN 978-0-521-81851-3. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
5. ^ anacafe.org and guatemalancoffees.com
6. ^ "guatemalancoffees.com". Archived from the original on 2014-10-02. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
7. ^ anacafe.org
8. ^ "Guatemala, 2013 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor". Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
9. ^ "Verite. Research on Indicators of Forced Labor in the Supply Chain of Coffee in Guatemala. Amherst; 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2015-03-14.

## External links

[edit]

* Guatemala portal
* Coffee portal

* Media related to Coffee plantations in Guatemala at Wikimedia Commons

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Guatemala articles

History|

* Spanish conquest
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Coffee

Topics|

* Economics
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* Third-wave coffee

Production|

* Coffee production
* Organic coffee
* Shade-grown coffee
* Sustainable coffee
* List of countries by coffee production
* Coffee roasting
* Coffee wastewater
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* Home roasting

Species and
varieties|

* Arabica
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Components|

* Cafestol
* Caffeic acid
* Caffeine
* Coffee bean
* Furan-2-ylmethanethiol
* Kahweol

Preparation|

* AeroPress
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* Neapolitan flip coffee pot
* Percolator
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* Vacuum maker
* Single-serve coffee container

Coffee drinks|

* Affogato
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* Beaten coffee
* Bica
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* Cà phê sữa đá
* Café au lait
* Café com cheirinho
* Café con leche
* Café de olla
* Café Touba
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* Carajillo
* Coffee cabinet
* Coffee milk
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* Dalgona coffee
* Egg coffee
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* Galão
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* Iced coffee
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* Irish coffee
* Karsk
* Kopi
* Kopi luwak
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* Kurdish coffee
* Latte macchiato
* Latte
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* Long black
* Lungo
* Marocchino
* Mazagran
* Moretta
* Oliang
* Raf coffee
* Red eye
* Ristretto
* Rüdesheimer Kaffee
* Tenom coffee
* Turkish coffee
* White coffee
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* Wiener Melange
* Yuenyeung

Organization lists|

* Bakery cafés
* Coffee companies
* Coffeehouses

Lifestyle|

* Barista
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* Coffee ceremony of Ethiopia and Eritrea
* CoffeeCon
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* Coffee palace
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* Historical coffeehouses
* Kopi tiam
* Latte art
* Viennese coffee house

Substitutes|

* Barley coffee
* Barley tea
* Barleycup
* Caro
* Cereal coffee
* Chicory
* Dandelion coffee
* Inka
* Maya nut
* Postum
* Qishr

Serving vessels|

* Coffee cup
* sleeve
* Cezve
* Demitasse
* spoon
* Tasse à café
* Zarf

Competitions|

* United States Barista Championship
* World Barista Championship
* World Brewers Cup

Misc.|

* Coffee and doughnuts
* Coffee bag
* Coffee service
* Coffee leaf rust
* Coffee wars
* Gustav III of Sweden's coffee experiment
* Canned coffee
* Coffee vending machine
* Used coffee grounds
* Sustainable coffee

* Coffee portal
* Category: Coffee

* v
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Coffee production by region

Top 20
producers (2014)|

* Brazil
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Ethiopia
* Guatemala
* Honduras
* India
* Indonesia
* Ivory Coast
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Papua New Guinea
* Peru
* Tanzania
* Thailand
* Uganda
* Vietnam

* Coffee portal

Other cultivators|

* Angola
* Bolivia
* China
* Cameroon
* Cuba
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* East Timor
* Guadeloupe
* Guam
* Haiti
* Jamaica
* Kenya
* Laos
* Martinique
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Philippines
* Puerto Rico
* Sri Lanka
* United States (Hawaii)
* Venezuela

Lists|

* List of countries by coffee production
* List of countries by coffee exports

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