Filadelfia Coffee Estate, Guatemala by Eve Andersson

The Filadelfia Coffee Estate is a modern, charming coffee plantation just outside of Antigua. You can take a two-hour tour and learn about everything from growing the plants to producing the final, delicious end product. Growing The plants start out in pots for the first couple years of their lives, then they're transported to high-altitude fields where they grow in the shade of large trees that let just the right amount of sunlight through. Processing The beans are picked, pulped, washed, dried, sorted by size, sorted by density, hand sorted for defects, roasted, and packaged.

Tasting

Comments

Having visited the western highlands of Guatemala and lived with a family for 2 weeks (and having read "I, Rigoberta Menchu" and other personal accounts), I can't help but wonder about the living conditions for those who pick the beans at this estate. The building looks okay (not sure who lives in it); are the people treated well, and are they compensated fairly?

-- Cynthy Johnson

Busco empleo!!!

Hola, no se si esta sea la mejor manera de accesar a ustedes, pero realmente es que la verdad ya estoy desesperado puesto que no tengo empleo y he enviado cantidad de curriculums a todas partes pero es que sencillamente no hay empleo, he trabajado mucho tiempo en la ciudad capital pero ultimamente me asaltaron y me lastimaron la columna por lo que ya no quiero viajar a la capital, esta es la unica manera que encontre para comunicarme con las empresas antigue?as, soy perito contador por favor si hubiera una oportunidad de entrevista con ustedes pueden llamarme al 5535-2427, se los agradecere pues tengo una familia que mantener.

Gracias, Nelson Vides

-- Nelson Rigoberto Vides

It is remarquable how the owners of the Filadelfia Coffee Estate are doing everything possible to keep the tradition of coffee making alive and at the highest quality levels even considering lower coffee prices and higher salaries and better living conditions for the pickers who usually gather around december, january and february to assist in the picking of the coffee beans. Many other family estates have stopped picking the coffee beans because it is too expensive and there is no profit left for the owners - so many have turned into residential real estate developments leaving the poor locals completely out of any economic income whatsoever, one of the reason that there are many poor and that they have lost all their traditions.
Image: FF worker selecting coffee beans.JPG

-- Peter O. Wirth