Guatemala Magarciy Natural

About the cooperative and processing

Santiago Atitlan, home of the Mayan Tz’utujiles, is also home to Magarciy (formerly known as Cooperative Co-Atitlan). 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 access to technical support and higher value markets. In addition to processing coffee, Magarciy has an agritourism program, tends to a coffee nursery, work with experimental coffee varietals, and produce vegetables for income generation outside of the coffee harvest. A fun fact is that Kapeh Utz has been partners with Magarciy/Co-Atitlan 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.