Amatillo Bioreactor

In the village of Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, in the Region of Santa Rosa, Guatemala, between the Tecuamburro and Pacaya volcanoes is located the mountain of La Gavia, where the coffee farm Amatillo is situated. Finca Amatillo is one of 3 neighbouring farms managed as a group with the other two farms collectively named Santa Ana.

Finca Amatillo was founded more than 35 years ago by Roberto Díaz Marroquin and has always remained in his family, since then being passed down to his son Fernando Diaz. They also have a dog called 'Whisky' who has grown up on the farm with them and knows how to navigate the slopes; even which ones are safe to explore and which he should avoid! 50% of Amatillo is surrounded by private nature reserves, and the Diaz family rely on solar power for light, collect their own water from the rainfall and have no phone signal. Being immersed in nature is very much part of what they do and also what they enjoy.

Since the early 2000s, when Cup of Excellence first surfaced amongst other quality focused competitions, there have been many quality driven developments on the farm. Varietal diversification is one of the main developments that has propelled quality. Fernando and the team planted 55 new varieties in a dedicated 'variety garden' back in 2012-13, after facing challenges in sourcing new seeds from neighbouring farmers. Through this method, they were able to investigate how the growing conditions on the farm suited each variety, and which ones flourished the most. As an ongoing process for the team at Amatillo now, they ensure new plants are added each year, allowing them to constantly grow and develop their offering. The variety garden is now available for use as a 'seed bank' - other farmers can source new varieties from the plantation and thus won't face the same struggles that Fernando did back in 2012 when they're diversifying their own offering.

Through controlled fermentation in a bioreactor to increase and regulate microbe activity, the team at Amatillo have achieved a funky and complex cup. It's a true showcase of terroir and fermentation technique - each sip brings full bodied tropical fruits and ripe bananas, with a smooth and complimenting orange-like sweetness.