Turning Leaves Fall

Origin: Guatemala

Region: Huehuetenango

Producer: Small, family farms with UNEX

Process: Fully washed and dried in the sun

Altitude: 1500-1900 masl

Roast: Medium

Notes: Balanced, cocoa, caramel, dried fruit, maple syrup

For our 2025 Turning Leaves, we chose Guatemala Huehuetenango Mam. This incredible coffee is sourced from small family-owned farms located within the municipalities of San Pedro Necta, Santiago Chimaltenango, Todos Santos Cuchumatan, Union Cantinil, La Libertad, and La Democracia, all in the department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The coffee is harvested by indigenous families on farms that average 1.5 hectares in size. It pulls its name from the small holders who are Mam, an indigenous group who is part of the Maya Nation. The Huehuetenango region is known for its beautiful, unique coffee with malty, caramel flavors up front, and sweet fruit flavors as it cools.

There are plenty of obstacles to cultivating and exporting coffee from the department of Huehuetenango.  The terrain is rugged and the weather is extreme.  But coffee grows well here, and indigenous families with farms that average just a few acres in size have partnered with an export company called UNEX to overcome the obstacles. Their mission is to connect these families and their coffees with roasters and coffee lovers around the world.

Each family uses their own micro-mill to process their harvest, which allows for meticulous care in cherry selection, depulping, fermenting, and drying the coffee. UNEX has a centralized warehouse to store dried parchment until it is time to move the coffee across the country along rough roads to Guatemala City where the coffee is prepared for export.

Through UNEX, coffee producers have gained access to technical assistance for managing their farms with the best organic practices.  Using materials like coffee pulp to make organic fertilizers has helped reduce the transportation costs associated with purchasing fertilizer from afar, and at the same time, creates an abundant source of fertilizer that ensures better yields and quality.  UNEX has also established funds for mobile clinics that can provide healthcare in the most remote indigenous communities.

This high scoring, grade one coffee will bring vitality and warmth with every sip. It’s a clean, rich, sweet cup with balanced, classic notes of cocoa, caramel, dried fruit and maple syrup. This beautiful coffee is a perfect fit for this year’s Turning Leaves.