Teotepec

Cerro Teotepec is the highest peak in the state of Guerrero, located at 3,550 MASL in the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountain rage. Teotepec means “Cerro de Dios” or Hill of God, and it is an area surrounded by dense forest and ravines with a high concentration of biological diversity along the Pacific slope. It harbors diverse climates that provide optimal climatic conditions for coffee to grow. Local stories, told by the inhabitants, say that this mystical place used to be a key gathering place during the Mixtec and Tlapanec culture rising. The gods met on this hill, and only the leaders of the ethnic groups could hike to the peak to receive the divine guidance to make their villages and cultures prosperous.

The growers behind Teoptec are the result of new relationships that Caravela established in this area with 34 female and 78 male farmers- all members of the association HERBERADA in the municipality of La Montaña in Guerrero. As farms here are in remote areas, they have been deeply affected by low prices in the past and so producers do not normally own their own micro-mills. This limitation has not stopped this group of producers. They have sought out new and better ways to work to improve their quality and sell their coffee as a united group. Each family carefully collects ripe cherries and later floats them to remove lower-density beans and foreign matter. After this, the cherries are sun-dried on concrete patios and straw mats for 15 days. By processing the coffee as natural, they have been able to earn higher premiums and to find new homes for their tasty coffees.

Teotepec blend has fruity notes of plum, berries, guava, full-body, and a clean and lingering aftertaste.