Randolfo Pacheco
Impressions: raspberry crumble, medjool date, chamomile
Roast degree: light (2.5/5)
Country: Guatemala
Location: Sansupo, Mataquescuintla
Variety: Pache San Ramon
Process: Washed
Farmer: Randolfo Pacheco
Farm: Laguna Escondida
Import partner: Semilla
Randolfo produces incredibly tasty coffee and we are thrilled to have him on the menu for a second year running.
Last year, we bought some from Semilla, our longstanding import partner, after a roaster did not honour his contract. Even though this is something that should not happen in our industry, we are kind of glad it did because it helped us find one of our favorite coffees from Central America, ever. Silver linings.
Randolfo was one of the first farmers Semilla bought from in Guatemal in 2018, and he is an active member of the Xinka coffee producer group. This group is actively involved in resistance against the illegal exploitation of a silver mine by Vancouver-based Pan-American Silver. This Canadian company wants to go ahead and exploit the mine despite the Xinka people unanimously opposing this extractive project on their ancestral land and formed a group called Cafe Colis Resistencia
We are proud to join Semilla in their efforts to stand on the side of Indigenous sovereignty and landing our support for this producing group. Not only does Semilla buy the coffees well above market prices, but they focus on partnering with peripheral farmers who simply could not access the specialty market. This would force famers to sell their delicious coffee at a discount either to large, exploitative corporations, or internally in Guatemala, in both cases for pennies on the dollar.
Despite many hardships over the years, like loosing half of his trees to diseases in 2020, he persevered, replanted, and can now harvest and process his coffee himself.
Here are a few words from Rabdolfo:
“Thank you for supporting our project, Cafe Colis Resistencia. I’m happy to know that you carry a little of my efforts with you.
Although these are complicated times, the passion for coffee has been more intense in recent years. We dedicate the time and love necessary to our coffees without ruling out the sacrifices and risks that we live with day by day. It’s obvious that our objective isn’t only to improve our quality of life, but we are also committed to defending our land and our natural resources, which isn’t easy.
The important thing is to know that we have friends with a conscience who are interested in being part of our team. Thank you, Brendan, Semilla Coffee and all who bought our coffee.”
Sincerely, Randolfo Pacheco.
This coffee from Randolfo is all we crave for in a morning brew: round and sweet, it goes well with milk or black, or as an espresso or filter. Truly an all around delicious brew.
This washed Pache San Ramón leans into dried-fruit sweetness from the start: sultana and yellow raisins, Medjool dates, and dried black plums. As it cools, it shifts into a baked raspberry crumble profile with that buttery, caramel-like sweetness.
It also triggered a childhood core memory (for V) of dulce de membrillo, (quince-paste). Delicate florals also show up softly, like chamomile, and the acidity sits somewhere between kiwi and raspberry, keeping everything bright and silky.
|
Method |
Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 16-20 g | 2.3:1 | 30-34 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 16-20 g | 2.1:1 | 32-36 sec |
| Americano | 16-20 g | 2.4:1 | 26-30 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
18-32 g | 17:1 | 3:30-4:00 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 16:1 | 5:00-5:45 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 15:1 |
4:30 min steep time |
Farmer: Randolfo Pacheco
Exporter: Industrias Noviembre
Importer: Semilla
Price we paid Semilla: 20.65CAD/kg
FOB price: 11.80CAD/kg
A note on this FOB price:
The difference between FOB pricing and the price we pay importers is usually much closer. There either was a mixed up during invoicing, or the mill charged them a lower rate either by mistake or thinking they were processing a larger quantity: the more coffee you let a mill handle, the better the price.
For our other lots in this region, FOB was closer to 15$, and despite this information, Randolfo's farmagate price is the highest of them all.
This shows the limitations of transparency reports (or global benckmark price like the C market) that are only dealing in FOB as it doesn't always give an accurate picture. This FOB price is much closer to what people buying at market price would disclose, and that could be misleading since the farmgate price for this coffee was way above market price.
FOB alone can't paint an accurate picture; it needs to be paired with farmgate as well to be meaningful.
Farmgate price: 2700 Quetzal/quintal (up from 1900 last harvest). 1 quintal being around 100kg of parchment (parchment means the green bean is still not exposed)
National price: 1800 Quetzal - Semilla paid 50% above market price for the coffee.