slow food cafe forts in central america

It all began in Huehuetenango, with the first visit to communities in the Guatemalan Highlands.

In 2002 Slow Food first achieved success with the goal of creating a network of good, clean and fair coffee producers. Since then, we have accompanied these farming communities to create a solid network of seven strongholds: two in Central America (Huehuetenango in Guatemala and Montanha Camabara in Honduras) and five in Africa (Harenna in Ethiopia, Luwero and Mount Elgon in Uganda, Ibo Islands in Mozambique and the São Power Tommy and Principe).

And based on the history of these communities and the work we’ve been doing with them, we want to embark on a journey that will lead us to discover the biodiversity of coffee.

A story destined to grow: A Slow Food Coffee Alliance, an inclusive and collaborative network that unites all the actors in the supply chain, launched from these core communities. The invitation to participate is open to everyone, starting with a signature Shows Summarizing the ambitions of the network: environmental protection, food security, and protection of basic human rights. With the Slow Food Coffee Alliance statement, we propose transparency and traceability so consumers know who produced their coffee and where.

Huehuetenango Highland Coffee – Guatemala

Jesuit priests introduced coffee to Guatemala in 1773 and today the country produces one of the best coffees in the world. Fortaleza coffee is made from Coffea arabica plants (of the Typica, Bourbon and Caturra varieties) grown in the shade of tall trees. The coffee fruits are hand-picked, picked one by one, and placed in a wicker basket tied to the collector’s waist with a vine rope. The beans are extracted from the berries by a light fermentation that begins within four hours of harvest and continues for 24 to 36 hours. After removing the pulp, the beans are dried for at least three hours, during which the beans are constantly stirred manually with a rake.

Mountain Coffee Camabara – Honduras

It is not known for certain when coffee arrived in Honduras, but some seeds are believed to have arrived from Costa Rica between 1799 and 1804 among the goods brought by street traders. Today, despite the importance of coffee cultivation to the national economy, the country’s small coffee producers cannot earn a decent living from farming.

Today, the mountain is home to around 500 coffee growers, mostly small producers organized into cooperatives that traditionally grow Arabica plants of the Typica, Burbón and Caturra varieties in the shade of local trees, at altitudes between 1,200 and 1,600 meters above sea level. . . They produce washed coffee, which in the cup has a strong aroma of peach and amaretto, with notes of fruits and chocolate.