Finca Capetillo
£0.03 / Pricing
GUATEMALA
Capetillo S.A.
Cocoa, candied grapefruit, medium acidity, full body, medium to dark roast
About
Finca Capetillo is one of the oldest farms we buy coffee from, it was first planted in the 1880s and is still innovating today. The farm has a recently modernised waterwheel power system which provides the coffee processing machinery with renewable power. The coffee processing machinery and area requires a lot of cleaning and upkeep, more than usual on a coffee farm due to the proximity of the Acatenango and Agua volcanoes. The volcanoes help keep the soil rich and the microclimate relatively stable (from the shade and wind cover) but are active and rumbly so produce ash cover on a regular basis. The ash is quite acidic and can erode the concrete used on the drying patios and facilities. Over the last two years the team at Capetillo have been renovating a ten manzana area of the farm (a manzana is a local unit of area equal to around 1.4 hectares). An average of 4,600 trees are planted in each manzana, with three-meter spacing between rows and a half-meter between the plants in the row. The farm’s well performing varietals of Caturra, Pache and Catuaí are planted in larger volumes, and these are supplemented with Riuru, Obatá, Tupí and Marsellesa in smaller quantities to maintain diversity. The diversity helps maintain a crop if one varietal succumbs to disease or no longer suits the environment. Diversification has always been important on farms but is becoming increasingly significant as adaptations need to be made for changes in the local climate.