Lote El Sapito
Lot Info:
Updated - 2/1/2024
Producer(s):
La Cooperativa San Martin Jilotepeque (COSAMAJ)
Farmer’s Names
Region:
San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala
Process:
Fully Washed, Dry Fermentation, Patio Dried, 15+ European Preparation
Elevation & Varietals
+1,700m Bourbon, Pache, & Caturra
(Some Yellow Bourbon too!)
Cupping Notes:
Prickly Pear/Cactus Fruit Acidity, Strawberry Sweetness, Red Grape, & Creamy Body
Availability:
56 - (69KG) Bags Houston Dupuy
Much of this lot is thanks to Don Emilio and his son Emilio Carlos (which we’ll refer to as Carlos.) They’ve become the foundation behind this lot and the work they’re actively pursuing in this area of Jilotepeque called El Sapito.
Don Emilio is a 1st generation coffee farmer which is quite rare to find amongst Guatemalan coffee producers who often have a 3-5 generational investment.
Don Emilio got his start by planting a few plants when he was 18. He never had any intentions of becoming a coffee farmer but simply enjoyed planting coffee. Little by little he found himself planting so much coffee that he woke up one day and realized that he had become a “Coffee Farmer.”
In 2018, Don Emilio and his son embarked on a mission to build a wet mill. This sounds insignificant but it’s a huge task and a meaningful one in Jilotepeque. In a region where there’s scarce access to water, rocky terrain, and few wet mills, building a processing mill would enable Don Emilio and nearby producers to process their coffee into parchment for better overall value and better market access opportunities for local producers.
Despite having 0 years of wet milling experience, they ensured building this wet mill with the help of Anacafe engineers and processing experts that were pivotal in providing the knowledge base they now utilize.
Perhaps the most exciting element behind coffees from El Sapito is the generational investment we’re seeing from Don Emilio being passed onto his son Carlos. There are not many youth involved in coffee production since historically growing coffee hasn’t been a profitable career. It’s amazing to see the amount of responsibility Carlos has been handed and the dreams Carlos has for the farm. He’s recently established an Instagram account @concepcioncoffee and a website www.fincanuevaconcepcion.com.
Carlos loves the idea of forming direct roaster relationships and producing coffees with their clientele in mind. For us, it’s a privilege to buy coffee from a farm that’s providing better farm-level access to local producers and actively investing in the next generation at the same time.
Lote El Sapito receives its name from a geographical region of Jilotepeque called El Sapito. As COSAMAJ, they liked the idea of separating out lots by the various geographical regions in Jilotepeque; which is where the other names, Magnolia and Canajal de Medina, come from as well.
2023 Update:
The 2022 harvest was a little bit of a struggle. Often when there are a lot of new changes, it’s hard to get everything right the first time. We appreciated the 2022 crop but found their coffee lacking in some areas. It was great to be able to have those honest conversations with Carlos and talk through expectations for 2023. Without a doubt, they knocked it out of the park this year with a coffee that’s much cleaner, sweeter, and with more character. Much of that is due to more attention to detail in various quality controls and more time spent in the fermentation tanks! We love seeing things like this happen where we see investment, communication, and relationship first and then quality coffee as a byproduct. We really believe that quality coffees are a result of many things but primarily derive from great relationships! Their 2023 El Sapito displays this truth beautifully!
Reach out if you’d like to learn more!