About Holt Coffee
My Coffee Story
Since I can remember I always want it to share the coffee that I love to drink. And is from Guatemala where I originally from. I have raced my two kids to be the best grown ups. Now that they are grown, I can dedicate my time to do what I love.
My coffee, is grown in fertile Guatemalan farms and with care by people from the area. No pesticides are used in the process to minimize the exposure of harmful chemicals to the workers and to the environment.
Growing in altitude from 4,500 to 6,000 feet above sea level, Holt Coffee is shade-grown, hand-picked and sun-dried. The coffee is produced in a sustainable manner: all the by-products of the processing are composted and mixed back into the soil. We use no chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides on our farm. Whenever possible natural trees have been maintained as shade. Nitrogen-fixing trees have been planted to improve soil composition and provide a natural bird and animal refuge.
The harvest takes place once a year from December through February. The coffee, in its cherry form, is handpicked and carefully selected for ripeness, then taken for processing where the cherries are de-pulped and sent to fermentation tanks. After a controlled fermentation, the coffee beans are washed of all sticky pulp and set to dry on cement patios. The wet-mill system we use recycles water to minimize environmental impact.
Coffee grows best under shade. When possible we have tried to maintain native trees while planting coffee underneath their protective cover. Leguminous trees have also been planted to nourish soil. Chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides and pesticides have never been used in this nature reserve. Natural compost is added which consists of by-products of the coffee process itself along with other on-farm produced organic material, such as animal manures.
The on-farm processing, or wet mill system which recycles waste water to minimize water usage and contamination. The coffee is de-pulped, fermented, rinsed, and dried on cement patios.