Finca Capetillo

Coffee has been grown and processed on Capetillo since the 1880s. The first shipment of Capetillo to London was a small lot of thirty bags in 1889 (not to us). Originally, the farm grew sugar cane, but slowly over almost one hundred years it was converted to a coffee estate. The waterwheels, which powered the sugar mill, were built in Glasgow by Mirrlees & Tait in 1865 and are still in place and functional. The farm is currently modernising the system to provide more sustainable power for the coffee mill. The farm lies in-between the Acatenango and Agua volcanoes at an average of 1500 meters, which is a bit too high for extensive sugar production but great for growing exceptional coffee. The shade of the volcanoes helps cool the farm’s micro-climate ensuring a slow maturation of the cherries which along with the high altitude, careful selection and processing, produces delicious coffees from Capetillo, but unfortunately Guatemala lies on the Pacific ring of fire and eruptions and earthquakes are a frequent part of life here. The team at Capetillo have been increasing their crop diversification over the past few years and have planted a lot of Macadamia. The Macadamia will come into full production over the next decade or so but in the interim the yield increases every year. Diversification has always been important on farms but is becoming increasingly significant as adaptations need to be made for changes in the local climate.