Mexico
Veracruz
Ernesto Perez
Finca Fatima
Bourbon
Anaerobic Honey
January–March
Caramel, Dried Fruit, Clean
1250 meters
N/A
69 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Third-generation coffee producer Ernesto Perez operates Finca Fatima in the Coatepec municipality of Veracruz, Mexico. His grandfather purchased the farm originally despite the land being considered “high risk” for coffee farming due to its high elevation and frequent frosts. Finca Fatima sits proudly as one of the highest coffee farms in the region at 1,250 meters above sea level, contributing to the quality of its coffee today.
Ernesto has invested in bringing his farm into the future by fully renovating it with new plants, diversifying varieties, and maintaining a shaded environment for his production. This vision focuses not only on coffee quality, but also on soil preservation, carbon sequestration, and retaining and improving local biodiversity.
Ernesto is certified with both Q Grading and Q Processing certificates, helping him to improve his coffees as well as working with other producers in his area. He sought out other young coffee producers who share in his enthusiasm for reviving specialty coffee in Coatepec, and now partners with six different producers to process their cherries in his wet mill. All coffees processed at his mill go through standardized and rigorous quality control, sorting, processing, and grading before being packed and shipped.
This lot of Bourbon coffee underwent Anaerobic Honey processing at Ernesto’s mill. Freshly harvested cherries are pulped and placed into an anaerobic environment to be fermented for four days. Fermented coffee is then dried on the drying patio for three days before being moved to raised beds where drying is completed over seven more days.
Located in the southeast of Mexico, Veracruz is the state to which coffee was first introduced in the country during the late-18th century. Its topography ranges from narrow coastal plains to the heights of the eastern Sierra Madre highlands, stretching from sea level to 5,636 meters above sea level at Mexico’s highest peak, Pico de Orizaba. This large variation in altitude results in a wide variety of microclimates throughout the state, from snow-covered mountaintops to hot, humid tropical areas on the coast where Veracruz borders the Gulf of Mexico.
Various types of forest cover Veracruz, but evergreen tropical forests dominate. The state has been described as having one of the richests varieties of wildlife in the western hemisphere, with an especially diverse array of endemic insects, arachnids, and birds across the region. Despite the deterioration of forested areas, the state is still an important stopover for migratory birds as well. Many endangered mammals can be found in Veracruz including two endemic rodents, jaguar, ocelot, and Baird’s Tapir. The state has 31 environmentally protected areas in 21 different municipalities.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing have been important components of the economy of Veracruz since pre-Hispanic times. Chief agricultural products include coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, tobacco, bananas, coconuts, and vegetables, but local farmers depend mainly on corn and beans. Coffee is grown on more than 150,000 hectares of land in the state.
