Finca La Bugambilia

La Bugambilia is owned by Guillermo Juarez of El Guatalón. Guillermo has three farms all joined: La Bugambilia, La Loma, and El Guatalón. The farms span across the border of Santa Rosa and Jalapa – two departments in the southeast of Guatemala. Although the farms are neighbours and share facilities the coffee from them is harvested and processed individually maintaining the integrity of each plot. Currently Guillermo is removing some cultivars that grow poorly in the climate and conditions on his farms and replacing them with cultivars that do better in this part of Guatemala. The idea is to practice a non-invasive style of agriculture, only planting varietals that work well with minimal intervention, and not removing any trees already offering shade to the coffee. This shipment is a mix of Marsellesa and Caturra. Marsellesa is a varietal that has coped well over the last few years during the increase in prevalence of roya – a rust coloured fungus which attacks the leaves of coffee trees leaving them unable to photosynthesize. Caturra was discovered in Brazil as a mutation of the Bourbon cultivar. Caturra has great flavour and growing qualities and is now used as a parent to new hybrids.