Mad Mash

These Sarchimor, Caturra, and Catuaí coffees, produced by a group of smallholder farmers in Chimhucum, Chiapas, are grown under shade trees in the mountains of Los Altos. This settlement is in the highest part of the region, a microclimate that produces an exceptional flavour in the cup. They are semi-washed (producers only ferment the coffees between six to 12 hours) to create a melody of flavours; acidic green apple paired with juicy cherry and raspberry. Vibrant, fruity, fun. We drink a bit too much of it, actually.

Story

NKG Bloom is an initiative to ensure the long-term viability of green coffee supplies by providing smallholder farmers with opportunities and resources to run their farms at full potential and enter a pathway out of poverty.

When the coffee rust crisis hit Mexico in 2012, production fell by 70 percent, severely affecting smallholder coffee farmers. There were strong arguments for getting out of coffee: high investment costs, negative yields after pulling up old trees, lack of access to suitable and healthy seedlings, and high demand for expertise and labour. Additionally, price and production fluctuations left farmers in high-risk and vulnerable situations.

In this environment, Exportadora de Café California (ECC) designed and implemented a program to secure the sustainable production of Mexican coffee and improve thousands of farmers’ livelihoods, enabling them to continue growing coffee for years to come. The programme, now part of NKG Bloom, offers producers seedlings, technical and agricultural assistance, access to high-quality fertilizers and inputs, access to financing, and a guarantee of coffee purchasing to ensure a healthy future for coffee in Mexico. The program has helped renew nearly 5,000 hectares in Mexico and turn around thousands of lives and businesses in Mexico.

Method

Drink it black. Bright and acidic on espresso. Filter brewing brings clarity to the fruity notes.

“Mad Mash” is a combination of English and Tzotzil. Mad in Tzotzil is monkey, so Mad Mash means Crazy Monkey.

Bright, juicy acidity and full, syrupy body

Origin

• Los Altos, Chiapas, Mexico.

Process

• Washed

REGION: Chimhucum, Chiapas

ALTITUDE: 1,780 masl