Maricela Esperón (Sold out)

Please note: this is a very special lot, so we roast it in small batches every Tuesday. Your order will be dispatched once your coffee has been freshly roasted, so you may have to wait until the following Tuesday for your whole order to arrive.We’re delighted to share this coffee from El Equimite, a remarkable farm in Veracruz, Mexico, led by Gibrán Cervantes. Gibrán combines traditional farming knowledge, biodiversity and deep respect for the land to grow expressive coffees while protecting the ecosystem they depend on.El Equimite is what Gibrán calls an “edible forest”: a living farm where coffee grows beneath the native canopy alongside fruit trees, medicinal plants, wildlife and a natural lake. It’s one of the few Demeter-certified biodynamic coffee farms in the world, managed as a connected, living system. Its cool, misty cloud forest climate slows cherry maturation, developing the sweetness, clarity and complexity we love in the cup.Gibrán’s work also extends beyond his own farm. Through Ensambles, a project he founded, he brings producers together to share knowledge, strengthen communities and explore more sustainable ways of farming. His aim is not just exceptional coffee at El Equimite, but a more resilient future for coffee across Mexico, showing how quality and sustainability can grow together.

In Guerrero, farmers have very small lots growing their coffee in forests surrounding their homes in much the same way that a lot of Ethiopian coffee is. Coffee trees are grown in the wilds around the farmers home alongside other crops and flora. This creates a default biodiversity. This is an ancient practice of the indigenous producers in the area, where tradition and spirituality combine to benefit the product and the environment. This form of agroforestry has now been proven to increase farm productivity and profitability, reduce soil erosion, create wildlife habitat, improve soil structure, and help with carbon sequestration – the storing of carbon dioxide. In simple terms this means that carbon dioxide is captured by the forest and essentially stored underground, reducing the farm's impact on global warming. Guerrero has long been overlooked by the Mexican Government and communities here have historically been very vulnerable to cartels. Coffee farmers were only able to sell to coyotes who would often cheat or go back on promises. This history meant it took a lot of work for our friends at Ensambles to build trust in this region. But over the years working in the region they, and we, have seen improvements to the communities and a desire to invest in improving the quality of their crop each year.

A natural Mexican coffee from women producers in the Montana Alta region of Guerrero, dried on tarps outside family homes and carrying raspberry, chocolate, and toffee notes.

We’re super excited to present two coffees of the same varietal, grown on neighbouring farms, processed two different ways and named after the sisters who grow them. Ana is the washed, and tasting it alongside Martha, the natural, is a great way to explore the difference processing makes. Both farms sit in northern Nicaragua near the Honduran border, where altitude, a cool climate and volcanic soil produce the country’s finest coffee. Ana and Martha left in the 70s, returning after inheriting their father’s farms in 2013 to open a mill and export business, with 7 staff and 60 more at harvest. Finca Las Hortensias has been in the Alvir family for over fifty years, and Ana runs it on agroforestry principles, with coffee shaded by forest, banana and fruit trees. Maracaturra, a Maragogype × Caturra cross, pairs Maragogype’s quality with better yield and rust resistance.