Our Organic Guatemala Guaya'b Fair Trade SMBC is a new arrival with a good body and a balanced cup of finish.

Guatemala has an abundance of water, volcanic soil, and very distinct microclimates compared to its neighbors. Coffee Producers regions: Fraijanes, Coban, Huehuetenango, highlands near Mexico, volcanic mountains of Lake Atitlan; San Marcos, Oriente, regions near the eastern border of Honduras and Antigua.

This certified Bird Friendly and Fairtrade Organic coffee comes from Asociación Civil Guaya'b, an association in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. Of its 330 members, 316 members are of indigenous descent. Formally established in 1998, Guaya'b began selling to the Fair Trade market in 2000.

"Since we began selling at the Fair Trade price we have seen a big improvement in our quality of life," says Antonio Carmelo Camposeco, president of Guaya'b. "Cooperative members can now afford to buy clothes and medicine for their families, and they benefit from the new programs the cooperative has implemented with revenue from Fair Trade sales."

The extra income from Fair Trade prices has also enabled Guaya'b farmers to reinvest in their community. As a result, the region’s economy is more stable, and the rate of migration has decreased. Some of the projects conducted with Fair Trade premiums include:

Medical Insurance Guaya'b cooperative members voted to finance medical insurance for members and their families, using their Fair Trade premiums.

Low Interest Micro Loans Guaya'b cooperative members are provided with low-interest loans that have allowed them to avoid unscrupulous local lenders.

Income from Additional Crops Guaya'b members have invested their premium funds into growing peanuts, fruit and peppers for sale in local markets.

Guaya'b coffee is also certified bird-friendly by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC). For more information about bird-friendly coffee, visit the SMBC website


Guatemala has an abundance of water, volcanic soil, and very distinct microclimates compared to its neighbors. Coffee Producers regions: Fraijanes, Coban, Huehuetenango, highlands near Mexico, volcanic mountains of Lake Atitlan; San Marcos, Oriente, regions near the eastern border of Honduras and Antigua.

History of Guatemalan Coffee

Although coffee was brought over from the Caribbean in the mid-18th century by Jesuit priests, it was used primarily as an ornamental plant and garden crop for 100 years in Guatemala. Coffee wasn’t widely traded, however, until commercial production began in the 1850s. The volcanic soil and various micro-climates proved ideal for growing coffee in Guatemala. Coffee, within a generation, became the country’s most important crop. In 1860, Guatemala exported 140,000 pounds of coffee, and just 25 years later, the country was exporting over 40 million pounds. Large numbers of coffee farmers were German immigrants responsible for many inventions and innovations related to coffee milling. Most of Guatemala’s coffee was exported to Germany until the First World War, when exports shifted to the United States.