Small Batch – Asdeflor Co-Op – Guatemala – filter

Camp Grounds — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 01:15:41 +0000

Asdeflor CO-OP

- Producer 5 producers from Asdeflor
- Attributes Caturra, Catuai, and Pache Verde
- Origin Chanjón, San Martín, Todos Santos Cuchumatan, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
- Flavours lemon sponge cake, anzac cookie, balanced and sweet yellow fruit acidity, lemon candy residual

The Asociación de Desarrollo Flor del Café (Coffee Flower Development Association) (aka “ASDEFLOR”) is a tiny collective of just 30 members, all of whom belong to the Mam Mayan indigenous community. Mam is still the language used, Spanish being a second-language used only when speaking to mestizos. The Association owns a communal wet-mill where most producers process their coffee. Fermentations are long and cold, between two and three days. Producers cover the tanks in thick plastic to make sure the fermentation is homogenous and clean. The wet-mill sits at 1700 masl where parchment is dried partially on raised beds and finished on patios.
The Association was legalized as ASDEFLOR in 2012 but the members had been working collaboratively long before. Previously they have only sold locally, bulking their parchment together and delivering to a Co-Op who pays market rate. Located quite far away, and often talking too long to deliver payment, many producers are choosing to hold their coffee back and look for other, better paying markets.

All the members of the Association used to be subsistence farmers of maize and frijol and many were forced to migrate to the US and send money home, and after planting coffee are now able to stay on their land and haven’t crossed the border since.

When we first started working with Asdeflor (2017) the local market price was arguably below the cost of production and it was relatively easy for us to pay attractive premiums, which we have continued to pay. Things have however begun to get a little trickier for producers (and ourselves as responsible buyers) this year and last because of a slew of negative events, including too much rain (leading to lower yields), increased migration to the USA, and higher input cost. So, while prices in Huehuetenango (and in Guatemala at large) rose this year by 25-35% compared to the 2021 season, there’s still an element of uncertainty and discomfort about how this stacks up in relation to (volume influenced) cost of production.When we visited Asdeflor in February 2022 (our first trip for several years due to pandemic travel restrictions), we attended a group meeting where these issues were discussed and where we settled on a reasonable base price. We were super excited at this meeting to meet a next generational of coffee producers, who, despite the uncertainties and difficulties, still see coffee as a way forward. We’re proud to work with Cruz Perez Pablo and the members of Asdeflor.

About the roaster

Most Australians grew up drinking coffee that was oily, bitter and espresso brewed, because that’s how coffee was “supposed” to taste. At home, they might have a plunger and a jar of months-old ground coffee to drag out on special occasions.

Who knew how long ago their coffee was roasted or ground — let alone where it came from? Since coffee was drunk with copious amounts of milk and sugar, who even knew what it really tasted like?

Then some curious souls started asking questions about how and where coffee was harvested; how it was processed and roasted and whether it could taste better. Andrew Kelly was one of them, starting with some intrepid backyard experiments using a heat gun and colander.

About Small Batch Coffee Roasters:

What they have to say about themselves: ‘Most Australians grew up drinking coffee that was oily, bitter and espresso brewed, because that’s how coffee was “supposed” to taste. At home, they might have a plunger and a jar of months-old ground coffee to drag out on special occasions.

Who knew how long ago their coffee was roasted or ground — let alone where it came from? Since coffee was drunk with copious amounts of milk and sugar, who even knew what it really tasted like?

Soon, Andrew dreamed of sharing his discoveries by opening a cafe and roastery. That dream became Auction Rooms: a big open space where everything was on display, a menu that raised the bar for cafe food, and an obsession with creating delicious coffee. Since 2008, Melbournians have been flocking to North Melbourne, answering the siren call of what The Age Good Cafe Guide has twice called Melbourne’s best cafe.

As our roasting operations grew, we opened a dedicated roastery down the road. Auction Rooms was our flagship cafe; Small Batch is the coffee that made it famous.’

We want to spread the word that with carefully sourced and roasted coffee beans, a bit of knowledge, and openness to a world beyond espresso, anyone can make coffee at home that’s as good as any cafe’s (even ours!), and better than most. We also supply wholesale to a small number of cafe operators who care as much as we do.

Understanding that the best cup of coffee starts with the raw product, we are dedicated to working consciously and meaningfully in a select group of countries, collaborating with producers closely to achieve the holy trinity: coffee that is exceptional, that has a positive social impact and that supports sustainable agriculture.’

‘ – Small Batch Coffee Roasters

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Small Batch – Asdeflor Co-Op – Guatemala – filter

Asdeflor CO-OP