Tropisch fruit, melkchocolade, papaya, cavaillon meloen en vanille

• Proces: Natural Anaerobic
• Variëteit(en): Catuai
• Regio: Antigua
• Producent(en): Felipe Contreras
• Hoogte: 1700-2080m
• Drogen: Patio's
• Oogst: Manueel

Eigenaar: Felipe Contreras

Felipe Contreras, eigenaar van Finca Gascon in Guatemala, leidt een duurzame koffieboerderij. Als jonge producent experimenteert hij met innovatieve methoden om de kwaliteit van zijn koffie te verbeteren, met speciale aandacht voor het milieu.

Variëteiten & Proces

Op Finca Gascon cultiveert Felipe diverse variëteiten, waaronder de expressieve Catuai. Hij onderscheidt zich door het gebruik van natuurlijke anaerobe processen, waarbij de koffiebessen 96 uur fermenteren in plastic zakken.

Duurzaamheid & Agroforestry

Felipe is sterk beïnvloed door permacultuur en streeft naar duurzaamheid. Hij produceert zijn eigen biologische meststoffen en gebruikt een agroforestry-model, waardoor zijn koffiebomen gedijen in harmonie met het ecosysteem.

Bio in de Hooglanden van Antigua

Gelegen in de Antigua-regio op 1700-2000 meter hoogte, maakt Finca Gascon gebruik van de rijke vulkanische bodem en het gunstige klimaat. In 2023 bereikte Felipe volledige biologische productie, zonder externe inputs.

«Tropical fruit, milk chocolate, papaya, cavaillon melon and vanilla.»

Guatemala Finca Gascon

• Process: Natural anaerobic 
• Varietal(s): Catuai
• Region: Antigua
• Producer(s): Felipe Contreras
• Altitude: 1700-2080m
• Drying: Patios
• Harvest: Manual

 ABOUT

Felipe Contreras is the owner of Finca Gascon in Guatemala. Felipe is a young producer, passionate about the process and the quality of his coffees, both in the cup and for the environment. He started producing coffee at the age of 22, in 2018. And, rare enough to be highlighted, he is the 1st generation of producers in his family. At Finca Gascon, Felipe has the freedom to innovate in the way he treats his coffees. In fact, it is by experimenting that he prefers to learn how to improve the quality of his coffees each year. When Felipe Contreras' father, who now runs Finca Gascon, set up his farm in 2012, bourbon was the first variety planted. Gradually, he diversified the varieties, like the catuai variety that we offer in the natural anaerobic process.

Felipe likes this variety because of its florality in the cup, which can be very expressive. What's more, it's a variety that grows well at Finca Gascon and produces a lot.

To carry out this natural anaerobic process, Felipe ferments the cherries for 96 hours in plastic bags. The special thing is that he opens the bag several times during the day to mix the cherries so that they ferment evenly.

After fermentation, the cherries are left to dry for 20 to 25 days.

On the farm, Felipe is very influenced by permaculture. He aims to produce as sustainably as possible, under shade and in symbiosis with his ecosystem, to produce cups with a complex profile.

To fertilize his coffee trees, Felipe produces his own biofertilizers, insecticides and fungicides, in a completely natural and autonomous way.

Finca Gascon is located near San Juan Gascon in the Antigua region of Guatemala. Felipe Contreras' father, who now runs the farm, built it in 2012, in the middle of a forest. The coffee trees grow in the shade of this forest, above all because Felipe realised very quickly that it was better to preserve it and use it to make his coffees better.

The farm lies at an altitude of between 1700 and 2000 metres. The farm's 17 hectares are home to the following varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Geisha and Typica. And if his coffee trees are so healthy, it's because Felipe has adopted an agroforestry model, planting them where they grow best. For the first time this year (2023), his production is entirely organic, grown without inputs or fertilisers thanks to the natural compost he harvests on the farm.

The Antigua coffee region is distinguished by its rich volcanic soil, low humidity, abundant sunlight, and cool nights. Nestled in a valley, it is encircled by three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Periodically, Fuego, one of Guatemala's three active volcanoes, imparts a new layer of mineral-rich ash to the soil in Antigua. The volcanic pumice present in the soil effectively retains moisture, mitigating the impact of Antigua's relatively low rainfall. In this region, dense shade serves a crucial role in shielding the coffee plants from occasional frost. 

 Sourced by: Belco