ROST – Guatemala Herminio Castro

Our roaster Antti recently visited the coffee farm of 75-year-old Don Herminio and his family in Guatemala, so let him tell you in his own words!

Origin: Corral Grande, San Marcos, Guatemala
Flavor profile: dark chocolate, orange, spicy
Roast level: Medium roast (3/5)
Certifications: Organic

"Guatemala was the most important destination on my Central American origin trip, and there I visited the coffee farm of 75-year-old Don Herminio and his family in Corral Grande, in the San Marcos department. Herminio's grandfather and father were both coffee farmers, and he started working with coffee at the age of 10. Herminio's grandfather was also a baker, and Herminio helped him bake bread for the community. At 18, Herminio started transporting parchment coffee (which still has the bean's skin on it) by mule and horse
to collection centers to earn a little extra income. He did this work for about twenty
years, and with the savings he earned, he bought his own land, 2.2 hectares at an
altitude of 1,780 meters, in 1994.

Then leaf rust appeared in the area and many coffee farms
in the region were abandoned, but Herminio was one of the few who continued working in
coffee farming. Herminio is a respected person and local leader who has done and continues to do
a lot of good for the local community. Herminio supplies his parchment coffee to the Maya Ixil
cooperative, from which it is shipped to Europe. Herminio has finally found successors for his farm,
as in 2025 his grandchildren Daniel and Melissa Castro returned
to Guatemala, with Daniel taking over the harvest and farm management while Melissa
handles marketing and brand development - it was wonderful to meet you all."
- Antti