Guatemala
Magarciy Natural

About the producer group

Santiago Atitlán, home of the Mayan Tz’utujiles, is also home to Magarciy (formerly known as Cooperative Co-Atitlán). Magarciy is a family-owned wet mill that operates in the format of a cooperative, buying ripe cherry from around 1700 small producers in the surrounding communities. Working with Magarciy gives small producers around Santiago Atitlán access to seedlings, technical support and higher value markets. At the peak of harvest this year, Magarciy received over 600,000 lbs of coffee cherries in one day! Even with such a high volume, each lot of coffee is traced from the moment it’s turned in, through the wet milling process, and onto the drying patios. Magarciy also has an agritourism program, tends to a coffee nursery, works with experimental coffee varietals, and produces vegetables for income generation outside of the coffee harvest. Kapeh Utz has partnered with Magarciy since 2015!

This coffee was dried in the sun on concrete patios covered in black nylon for 30-40 days. A long, slow drying period makes for more vibrant flavors, increased fruitness, and evenly dried beans. Natural coffees are quite the labor of love and represent a considerable expense for small mills like Magarciy where patio space is limited. In addition to taking up a significant amount of space, this coffee requires almost constant movement to ensure even moisture levels, especially towards the end of the drying period when the cherries are spread into a thinner layer.