Hello! Farmer/Importer here!

[MindxInc]

Hello coffee lovers.

I'm new here, and decided to introduce myself. My name is Diego Vizcaino, and I come from a long line of coffee farmers. Guatemalan coffee farmers, to be specific. I've recently started to bring my product state side, so I guess I'm in the process of "joining the community" if you will. I'm the first in my family to begin wholesaling, and it is a business venture of my own creation. I've been working at it for the past few months, and finally have things in order to begin importing.

So, any questions you might have about farming coffee in Guatemala? I've spent loads of time on the farms, have full understanding of how they operate (logistics side as well as the actual farming).

I posted a thread in B2B, so if anyone has any questions about purchasing coffee, I'd like to respect the forum rules and handle that over there.


So, any questions? Thanks for welcoming me to your community!

 

[smalltowngirl13]

Hello and welcome to the forums Diego!

 

[expat]

I have a thread going about Fairtrade Coffee -- Is Fairtrade Coffee Really Fairly Traded Coffee?. As a coffee insider, with a lot of experience at 'ground zero', what is your take on Fairtrade? Is it still helping farmers to get ahead? Did it ever? Is it just a marketing tool for the big coffee corporations?

From all I've read I've got a bias against Fairtrade. Maybe I shouldn't have. Please let me know what your experience is.

 

[namballe]

Hi Diego, I am in Lima, Peru at this moment, and buy my coffee from a plantation near Equador. They are having a problem with coffee rust. Do you get the same problem in Guatemala? I am a small roaster, and have 3 sources where I get my coffee. I cant seem to get a good robust flavor from the coffee. How is your coffee? Do you sell it in the green state? Have you exported to the U.S. yet. Thank you, and welcome to the forums

 

[MindxInc]

I have a thread going about Fairtrade Coffee -- Is Fairtrade Coffee Really Fairly Traded Coffee?. As a coffee insider, with a lot of experience at 'ground zero', what is your take on Fairtrade? Is it still helping farmers to get ahead? Did it ever? Is it just a marketing tool for the big coffee corporations?

From all I've read I've got a bias against Fairtrade. Maybe I shouldn't have. Please let me know what your experience is.

The way I see it is that there are many people who would take advantage of farms. I get that it's business, but sometimes these farms are extremely small, and it cuts deep into their potential profits. Even if they are still making money, it has ramifications.

Each farm has a small community that lives/ works on the farms. During harvest, the workers (which more often than not includes the entire family) make a $ amount per 100lbs harvested. The problem is, when the owner doesn't have money, he can't pay his workers a fair price for their labor. Also, an owner being short on capital means that he doesn't have the money to invest in infrastructure for his/her farm, which could include a small turbine to provide power to the village, improving the school that's on the farm, or reconstructing houses for the village.

The problem is, fair trade, in my opinion, should include the treatment of the workers. There are far too many farm owners who let the people who LIVE ON THEIR FARMS to live in misery. It's a tragedy. As far as I know, the "Fair Trade" is only defined between the importer and the farmer... it's not complete.

Disclaimer: we treat our workers VERY well. It's something we take great pride in.

 

[MindxInc]

Hi Diego, I am in Lima, Peru at this moment, and buy my coffee from a plantation near Equador. They are having a problem with coffee rust. Do you get the same problem in Guatemala? I am a small roaster, and have 3 sources where I get my coffee. I cant seem to get a good robust flavor from the coffee. How is your coffee? Do you sell it in the green state? Have you exported to the U.S. yet. Thank you, and welcome to the forums

Hello Namballe, I replied to your query in B2B!
The flavor of my coffee... I am biased towards it, I've been drinking it my entire life, but it's got a lovely mellow flavor with just a bit of acidity. Nutty, hints of chocolate, smooth aftertaste. Slight wood tone. It's not a "BLAST MY FACE WITH POWER" type of coffee, but it's very nuanced.

And yes, I export to the US.

Cheers, and thanks for the welcome!
Diego

 

[CoffeeJunky]

i have been waiting for the sample Diego promised.... I hope i get to try some great mellow flavor coffee that I love...but as day go by, my chance of that is getting less and less...

 

[expat]

Diego, I'm in Ireland. What is the minimum you could ship here? I couldn' buy much, I'm a small roaster, but I could talk to some of the other roasters here and possibly we could pool an order to reach your minimum. What would it be, a 20' container? In the meantime could you ship sample set that I could share around with the other roasters to get 'buy in' on bringing in your coffee here to the Emerald Isle? Certainly I understand that shipping here, even samples, can be expensive so if it is too much I certainly understand.