Sustainability, both social and environmental, guides the work at Finca La Bolsa’s farm and mill in the mountain valleys of La Libertad, Huehuetenango. Founded in 1958 by medical doctor Jorge Vides, Finca La Bolsa operates conscientiously under the auspices of agroforestry, environmental protection, worker welfare, and responsible farm management. The farm is carbon-positive, meaning conservation and tree cover more than offset the carbon output of their operations.
Grown in the rich, varied soils of this mountainous region, La Bolsa’s coffees are a mixture of rarer varieties (such as Geisha, Pacamara, and SL-28) and consistently high-yield coffees like Caturra and Bourbon, as in this lot. The resulting output is coffee that allows for distinctive cup profiles with long-term consistency and resilience for the farm and farmers.
Coffee is processed at the farm’s own mill, where lower-density fruit is siphoned out and remaining coffee is pulped and screened for highest quality. It is dry fermented and washed in concrete channels, then sorted again for quality and patio-dried on raised beds. Finca La Bolsa’s wet mill prioritizes a low environmental footprint through a closed-loop water recirculation and treatment system, where collected and treated solids are reincorporated into the coffee fields as organic soil amendment, supporting circular nutrient use.
Swiss Water is delighted to bring this coffee to our Verdant Reserves portfolio through our relationship with Vides58 Coffee/Finca La Bolsa. We’re certain drinkers will respond not only to the classic, but nuanced, Guatemalan flavor profile, but also to the admirable social and environmental commitments behind this coffee.
