Specialty coffee changes the story for the indigenous people of Guatemala. Coffee as a tool of oppression finally offers hope....and then something a bit more complicated.

This episode explores the tension between the values of the Mayan communities who grow coffee, and the values that drive the specialty coffee movement.

Many of the signals we typically look for in our coffees - super-specialty flavours, Fairtrade certification, “5th generation family farm” - might actually exclude coffee grown by indigenous Guatemalans. 

This episode might change what kind of Guatemalan coffee you buy. 

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This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Mahlkönig, manufacturers of world-leading coffee grinders for 100 years for your home and cafe. 

Read Jonathan’s book, Coffee: A Global History

Support James’ work directly by buying him a coffee at Ko-fi.com/FilterStories

Read James’ article on Dieseldorf, the famous German plantation owner, in Standart 

Pick up a copy of Prof. Ted Fischer’s excellent book Making Better Coffee: How Maya Farmers and Third Wave Taste Makers Create Value

Follow Juan Jose on LinkedIn to keep up with his PhD on coffee farming in Jacaltenango exploring how ecology, generational memory and ritual all shape how Jacalteco farmers tend the land.