Mico De Noche
100 small-scale farmers with a 5-hectare average farm size from Tapachula.
STORY
This coffee is produced in South-East Chiapas near the border of Guatemala and the Pacific. The farms that make this coffee are located around the famous town of Tapachula, one of the most important settlements in the region. The settlement was originally inhabited by an indigenous of culture Maya known as the Mames, but the Aztecs converted this area into a city when they took over the land in the 13th century. This was not the only time that the land ownership here has been disputed between Guatemala and Mexico the area has had a long history of changing ownership.
In addition, this region is one of the main areas where coffee first entered Mexico, via the South Pacific Ocean route, at the end of the 16th century. It was Don Gerónimo Mancinelli, a German settler, who first set foot in Chiapas with a coffee plant. He moved to the Sierra del Soconusco, Chiapas, to enter the mountains and seek refuge. This is how the coffee cultivation in Chiapas somehow started on his farm on Chacara, owned by the Mancinelli Family, and which is currently a German-owned tourist farm called Finca Argovia. However, coffee became established in this area in the late 19th century and attracted with it the migration of European and Asian settlers.
This area has always been important for its fertile soil, agriculture, and mixed climate due to varying altitudes. Often the hotter lower-lying areas by the river are flooded where the cooler coffee highlands are safe – these varying climates allow the area to grow a variety of different crops for consumption and sale. The Micos de Noche or the night monkeys are famous in the region and can be heard on the coffee farms that make up this coffee. This biodiverse environment is perfect for their survival with a wide variety of things to eat. However, whenever they get the chance, they will quickly steal anything from an unattended plate! This coffee has notes of yellow fruits, citrus, floral and caramel.
Farm Varieties
Location

Country
Mexico

Municipality
Motozintla de Mendoza, Tapachula.

State
Chiapas

Elevation
1,400 – 2,000 MASL
Technical info

Harvest
October – December

Processing Method
Traditionally washed and fermented for 16-20 hours.
Honey and Natural process.

Shade
Native trees.

Drying Method
Fully sun-dried on patios and and raised beds.