San Pedro - lake Atitlan, coffee tour
Kategori: Allmänt
While we waited for the hero (Clint) to arrive we organised a coffee tour with our Danish buddies Thomas and Ida.
The tour guide drove us to the base of the volcano where his family has for four generations grown organic coffee beans.
He explained everything about the coffee community, growing of the plants and harvesting the beans. I wanted to bring home and roast my own bean, unfortunately the cleaner chucked it in the bin:(
The view of the lake from the coffee plantation.
We then drove to the factory where all coffee beans from the ten surrounding towns are taken to be processed. There is one comunity led company that is working to promote organic and safe farming, equality in wages and sustainable practices for the honey and coffee industries. The company spokesperson was our tour guide who spoke in perfect English answering all our questions and teaching us heaps about Guatemala and his people.
80% of all employment is from the coffee industry in San Pedro. And over 50% of all regional coffee is organically farmed thanks to this organisation who use the husks of the beans (above) and other waste products to create top grade fertilizer that they provide to farms free of charge. They also pay 15% more for organic beans .2% of coffee is sold internationally and 95% of honey is sold to Europe.
This huge trays is full of worms. they give all the rest products from the coffee to the worms and the massive amounts of worm pee they use and sell as fertilizer.
One little bean ready to be picked :)
