Aromatics that
conquer the
world
Guatemala’s coffee is national heritage
H
igh mountains and more than
300 micro-climates provide
Guatemala with the most
favorable conditions in the world
to produce first-rate coffee that is
internationally recognized for its
excellent coffee cup profile.
The Guatemalan aromatic, grown up to
6,500 feet above sea level - 2,000 meters
above sea level- has become a driver for
development, since it fosters trade and
jobs in the rural areas of the country.
Seventy-nine percent of the coffee
produced is strictly hard (SHB) and its
manual picking allows the harvest to
be selective, since they choose only the
mature fruit, generating more than 500
thousand jobs.
Coffee is the main agricultural product
for Guatemala, since is sold in the most
demanding markets around the world.
One of the biggest advantages of the
Guatemalan bean is that 98% is grown in
shade, which generates a positive impact
on biodiversity, the water resources
– three million cubic meters of water
per year, and the soils and fauna. It is
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estimated that 38 million shade trees
and coffee trees create a forest that
covers more than 305 thousand hectares
in the rural areas of the country.
Of the Arabic varieties produced in
Guatemala, caturra, catuaí and bourbon
represent 78% of the total. There is also
production of pacamara, típica, geisha,
pache and robusta.
Coffee represents between 2.5% to 3.5% of
the Gross Domestic Product, occupying
second place of the total exports for
agricultural products with 13%.
Guatemala is among the first ten leading
countries in coffee exports. More than
four million, 46kg sacks of exported
beans during the 2016 harvest generated
US$648 million in foreign currency.
Among the destinations, where the
Guatemalan aromatic goes is North
America, with 45% total (United States
32%, and Canada 13%); Europe, 27%
(Belgium 8%, Italy and Germany with 5%
each, and other countries 9%). Asia 24%
( Japan 20%, South Korea 3% and Taiwan
1%). The rest of the world buys 4%.