Daniel Orantes - Guatemala, El Volcancito
We are extremely proud to begin partnering with the indigenous Xinca community in the El Volcancito area known as Cafe Colis Restistencia. We invite you to read at length Semilla’s account of their history, their community, and their victories in resisting settler colonialism. The more we have learned, the more inspired and grateful we are to work with these amazing coffees. This lot comes from producer Daniel Orantes and features remarkable depth and fruit-frowardness, consistently reminding us of what we can only describe as “red” flavors like cherry cola, red berries, and merlot.
We Taste: Cherry Cola, Red Berries, Merlot, Caramel
Country: Guatemala
Region: El Volcancito Casillas
Process: Washed
Lot name: El Suyatal
Producer: Daniel Orantes
Varietal: 80% Pache San Ramón, 10% Catuai, 5% Cogollo Blanco and 5% Catimor.
Elevation: 1750
Harvest Date: April 2024
Farmgate price: 1950 Quetzal / quintal parchment coffee.
Regional farmgate price (2024): 1200 Quetzal / quintal parchment coffee.
FOB Price: $3.29USD/lb
Our Price: $4.95 USD/lb
Quantity Purchased: 6 × 70kgs
About this coffee:
Daniel manages a 2.8 hectare farm called El Suyatal. Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and are put in 200Lt sealed barrels to undergo a low oxygen fermentation for 24 hours. These seeds are then depulped dry and placed back into the barrels to ferment for an additional 46 hours. Then the coffee is put on raised beds to be dried in full sun for a period of 15 days. Overnight, the beds are covered with plastic to reduce the possibility of moisture affecting the seeds. Dried parchment is stored in sealed Grainpro bags, and kept in shade.
Daniel Orantes:
Daniel learned about farming from a young age with his family. His grandparents worked in the fields to survive in poverty and he learned everything about working the land from them. He still remembers that when he was a child he had to walk 5 kilometers to go to school and then work with his family in the fields. His grandparents told him stories of the time around 1930 when they only grew corn, wheat and beans and in 1965 they learned about growing coffee on a farm called La Sonrisa. From that moment on, Daniel's grandparents decided to grow coffee, in addition to the crops they already had. The coffee varieties that were grown at that time were Pache San Ramon, Pache Hibrido, Catuai and Caturra.
With a lot of effort, he and his family managed to have an area of land of one and a half manzanas (1 hectare) of varieties such as Catuai and Caturra. When Daniel's father passed away, the family decided to focus solely on coffee farming and they managed to expand their crop to 5 manzanas (3.5 hectares) of coffee and now Daniel also owns a small forest with varieties of native trees.
Cafe Colis Resistencia
Cafe Colis Resistencia is the name created by Alex Reynoso to identify coffee producing members of the Indigenous Xinka community around Mataquescuintla who are interested in developing an international market for their coffee, and therefore finally receiving fair prices for their work. The name Colis is a nickname for Mataquescuintla due to its fame form producing cauliflower (coliflor or Colis).
Guatemala’s history of coffee production has always erred to the support of major landowners of European or Mestizo descent, and relied upon the forced labor of Indigenous people to claim its place as one of Central America’s largest coffee producers. This violent and painful system leaves its vestigial remains in the monopolio that exists today — in short, a system of production and export in which the government supports major landholders while holding back resources and access to small producers such as those in Mataquescuintla. This monopoly not only keeps producers away from the market access they need for truly sustainable prices, but it also keeps them away from technical assistance and education that could propel them forward.
In essence, then, Cafe Colis Resistencia has little but themselves to rely upon. Semilla’s work with them has always been to primarily assist them in the development of an international market in Canada and the United States, providing the necessary access to technology and education that leads to more autonomous and sustainable coffee production.
The name Cafe Colis Resistencia builds off the storied history of resistance amongst the Xinka peoples, which traces its lineage back to the era of contact by Spanish conquistadors. The reformulations of settler colonialism manifest themselves today in the Escobal land concession leading to the purchase of a silver mine by Vancouver-based Tahoe Resources in 2010 which threatens the land, water, and air upon which the Xinka depend for survival.
Over years of protests, legal advocacy, and community organizing, the Xinka communities continued their resistance, culminating in a full blockade of the mine’s entrance in 2017. In July of the same year, this effort finally prompted the Constitutional Court to rule against Tahoe Resources and suspended their license pending a proper consultation process. This was a huge victory as not only were Indigenous rights recognized as necessary in the consultation process of mining projects, but specifically that the Xinka’s rights were recognized. This is considered hugely important by the Xinka as previously their existence had been denied. Since this time, Xinka populations have come to more accurately be represented in census data, counting 268,223 in the 2017 census, up from 16,214 in 2002.
- Semilla, 2024
We recognize that by investing in autonomy and independence over production, by ongoing community resistance to occupation, and by challenging the monopolized coffee sector in Guatemala, the producers of Cafe Colis Resistencia have taken enormous risks to lift up their community. We also recognize the need for coffee roasters like us to share in that risk - and stick to that risk - through ongoing commitments to buying equal or increasing quantities of coffee from this community every year, regardless of variables like cup quality. Our industry needs more equal distributions of risk on the basis of solidarity, and that begins with commitments to people, movements, and values over anything else.
We are extremely proud to begin partnering with the indigenous Xinca community in the El Volcancito area known as Cafe Colis Restistencia. We invite you to read at length Semilla’s account of their history, their community, and their victories in resisting settler colonialism. The more we have learned, the more inspired and grateful we are to work with these amazing coffees. This lot comes from producer Daniel Orantes and features remarkable depth and fruit-frowardness, consistently reminding us of what we can only describe as “red” flavors like cherry cola, red berries, and merlot.
We Taste: Cherry Cola, Red Berries, Merlot, Caramel
Country: Guatemala
Region: El Volcancito Casillas
Process: Washed
Lot name: El Suyatal
Producer: Daniel Orantes
Varietal: 80% Pache San Ramón, 10% Catuai, 5% Cogollo Blanco and 5% Catimor.
Elevation: 1750
Harvest Date: April 2024
Farmgate price: 1950 Quetzal / quintal parchment coffee.
Regional farmgate price (2024): 1200 Quetzal / quintal parchment coffee.
FOB Price: $3.29USD/lb
Our Price: $4.95 USD/lb
Quantity Purchased: 6 × 70kgs
About this coffee:
Daniel manages a 2.8 hectare farm called El Suyatal. Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and are put in 200Lt sealed barrels to undergo a low oxygen fermentation for 24 hours. These seeds are then depulped dry and placed back into the barrels to ferment for an additional 46 hours. Then the coffee is put on raised beds to be dried in full sun for a period of 15 days. Overnight, the beds are covered with plastic to reduce the possibility of moisture affecting the seeds. Dried parchment is stored in sealed Grainpro bags, and kept in shade.
Daniel Orantes:
Daniel learned about farming from a young age with his family. His grandparents worked in the fields to survive in poverty and he learned everything about working the land from them. He still remembers that when he was a child he had to walk 5 kilometers to go to school and then work with his family in the fields. His grandparents told him stories of the time around 1930 when they only grew corn, wheat and beans and in 1965 they learned about growing coffee on a farm called La Sonrisa. From that moment on, Daniel's grandparents decided to grow coffee, in addition to the crops they already had. The coffee varieties that were grown at that time were Pache San Ramon, Pache Hibrido, Catuai and Caturra.
With a lot of effort, he and his family managed to have an area of land of one and a half manzanas (1 hectare) of varieties such as Catuai and Caturra. When Daniel's father passed away, the family decided to focus solely on coffee farming and they managed to expand their crop to 5 manzanas (3.5 hectares) of coffee and now Daniel also owns a small forest with varieties of native trees.
Cafe Colis Resistencia
Cafe Colis Resistencia is the name created by Alex Reynoso to identify coffee producing members of the Indigenous Xinka community around Mataquescuintla who are interested in developing an international market for their coffee, and therefore finally receiving fair prices for their work. The name Colis is a nickname for Mataquescuintla due to its fame form producing cauliflower (coliflor or Colis).
Guatemala’s history of coffee production has always erred to the support of major landowners of European or Mestizo descent, and relied upon the forced labor of Indigenous people to claim its place as one of Central America’s largest coffee producers. This violent and painful system leaves its vestigial remains in the monopolio that exists today — in short, a system of production and export in which the government supports major landholders while holding back resources and access to small producers such as those in Mataquescuintla. This monopoly not only keeps producers away from the market access they need for truly sustainable prices, but it also keeps them away from technical assistance and education that could propel them forward.
In essence, then, Cafe Colis Resistencia has little but themselves to rely upon. Semilla’s work with them has always been to primarily assist them in the development of an international market in Canada and the United States, providing the necessary access to technology and education that leads to more autonomous and sustainable coffee production.
The name Cafe Colis Resistencia builds off the storied history of resistance amongst the Xinka peoples, which traces its lineage back to the era of contact by Spanish conquistadors. The reformulations of settler colonialism manifest themselves today in the Escobal land concession leading to the purchase of a silver mine by Vancouver-based Tahoe Resources in 2010 which threatens the land, water, and air upon which the Xinka depend for survival.
Over years of protests, legal advocacy, and community organizing, the Xinka communities continued their resistance, culminating in a full blockade of the mine’s entrance in 2017. In July of the same year, this effort finally prompted the Constitutional Court to rule against Tahoe Resources and suspended their license pending a proper consultation process. This was a huge victory as not only were Indigenous rights recognized as necessary in the consultation process of mining projects, but specifically that the Xinka’s rights were recognized. This is considered hugely important by the Xinka as previously their existence had been denied. Since this time, Xinka populations have come to more accurately be represented in census data, counting 268,223 in the 2017 census, up from 16,214 in 2002.
- Semilla, 2024
We recognize that by investing in autonomy and independence over production, by ongoing community resistance to occupation, and by challenging the monopolized coffee sector in Guatemala, the producers of Cafe Colis Resistencia have taken enormous risks to lift up their community. We also recognize the need for coffee roasters like us to share in that risk - and stick to that risk - through ongoing commitments to buying equal or increasing quantities of coffee from this community every year, regardless of variables like cup quality. Our industry needs more equal distributions of risk on the basis of solidarity, and that begins with commitments to people, movements, and values over anything else.
We are extremely proud to begin partnering with the indigenous Xinca community in the El Volcancito area known as Cafe Colis Restistencia. We invite you to read at length Semilla’s account of their history, their community, and their victories in resisting settler colonialism. The more we have learned, the more inspired and grateful we are to work with these amazing coffees. This lot comes from producer Daniel Orantes and features remarkable depth and fruit-frowardness, consistently reminding us of what we can only describe as “red” flavors like cherry cola, red berries, and merlot.
We Taste: Cherry Cola, Red Berries, Merlot, Caramel
Country: Guatemala
Region: El Volcancito Casillas
Process: Washed
Lot name: El Suyatal
Producer: Daniel Orantes
Varietal: 80% Pache San Ramón, 10% Catuai, 5% Cogollo Blanco and 5% Catimor.
Elevation: 1750
Harvest Date: April 2024
Farmgate price: 1950 Quetzal / quintal parchment coffee.
Regional farmgate price (2024): 1200 Quetzal / quintal parchment coffee.
FOB Price: $3.29USD/lb
Our Price: $4.95 USD/lb
Quantity Purchased: 6 × 70kgs
About this coffee:
Daniel manages a 2.8 hectare farm called El Suyatal. Cherries are picked at peak ripeness and are put in 200Lt sealed barrels to undergo a low oxygen fermentation for 24 hours. These seeds are then depulped dry and placed back into the barrels to ferment for an additional 46 hours. Then the coffee is put on raised beds to be dried in full sun for a period of 15 days. Overnight, the beds are covered with plastic to reduce the possibility of moisture affecting the seeds. Dried parchment is stored in sealed Grainpro bags, and kept in shade.
Daniel Orantes:
Daniel learned about farming from a young age with his family. His grandparents worked in the fields to survive in poverty and he learned everything about working the land from them. He still remembers that when he was a child he had to walk 5 kilometers to go to school and then work with his family in the fields. His grandparents told him stories of the time around 1930 when they only grew corn, wheat and beans and in 1965 they learned about growing coffee on a farm called La Sonrisa. From that moment on, Daniel's grandparents decided to grow coffee, in addition to the crops they already had. The coffee varieties that were grown at that time were Pache San Ramon, Pache Hibrido, Catuai and Caturra.
With a lot of effort, he and his family managed to have an area of land of one and a half manzanas (1 hectare) of varieties such as Catuai and Caturra. When Daniel's father passed away, the family decided to focus solely on coffee farming and they managed to expand their crop to 5 manzanas (3.5 hectares) of coffee and now Daniel also owns a small forest with varieties of native trees.
Cafe Colis Resistencia
Cafe Colis Resistencia is the name created by Alex Reynoso to identify coffee producing members of the Indigenous Xinka community around Mataquescuintla who are interested in developing an international market for their coffee, and therefore finally receiving fair prices for their work. The name Colis is a nickname for Mataquescuintla due to its fame form producing cauliflower (coliflor or Colis).
Guatemala’s history of coffee production has always erred to the support of major landowners of European or Mestizo descent, and relied upon the forced labor of Indigenous people to claim its place as one of Central America’s largest coffee producers. This violent and painful system leaves its vestigial remains in the monopolio that exists today — in short, a system of production and export in which the government supports major landholders while holding back resources and access to small producers such as those in Mataquescuintla. This monopoly not only keeps producers away from the market access they need for truly sustainable prices, but it also keeps them away from technical assistance and education that could propel them forward.
In essence, then, Cafe Colis Resistencia has little but themselves to rely upon. Semilla’s work with them has always been to primarily assist them in the development of an international market in Canada and the United States, providing the necessary access to technology and education that leads to more autonomous and sustainable coffee production.
The name Cafe Colis Resistencia builds off the storied history of resistance amongst the Xinka peoples, which traces its lineage back to the era of contact by Spanish conquistadors. The reformulations of settler colonialism manifest themselves today in the Escobal land concession leading to the purchase of a silver mine by Vancouver-based Tahoe Resources in 2010 which threatens the land, water, and air upon which the Xinka depend for survival.
Over years of protests, legal advocacy, and community organizing, the Xinka communities continued their resistance, culminating in a full blockade of the mine’s entrance in 2017. In July of the same year, this effort finally prompted the Constitutional Court to rule against Tahoe Resources and suspended their license pending a proper consultation process. This was a huge victory as not only were Indigenous rights recognized as necessary in the consultation process of mining projects, but specifically that the Xinka’s rights were recognized. This is considered hugely important by the Xinka as previously their existence had been denied. Since this time, Xinka populations have come to more accurately be represented in census data, counting 268,223 in the 2017 census, up from 16,214 in 2002.
- Semilla, 2024
We recognize that by investing in autonomy and independence over production, by ongoing community resistance to occupation, and by challenging the monopolized coffee sector in Guatemala, the producers of Cafe Colis Resistencia have taken enormous risks to lift up their community. We also recognize the need for coffee roasters like us to share in that risk - and stick to that risk - through ongoing commitments to buying equal or increasing quantities of coffee from this community every year, regardless of variables like cup quality. Our industry needs more equal distributions of risk on the basis of solidarity, and that begins with commitments to people, movements, and values over anything else.