Orizaba – Santuario Project
In the coastal region of Mexico known as Veracruz, sits the well-known coffee-producing area, Ixhuatlán del Café. With its climbing elevations, historic artifacts, and rich volcanic and clay soils – Ixhuatlán is home to a collection of coffee producers and the Santuario Project, where this lot comes from.
Initiated in 2017, the Santuario Project is truly a place of magnificence and superior coffee quality. The Ixhuatlán processing centre was opened in 2019. With a dedicated team, carefully orchestrated processes, and advanced greenhouses, labs, and state-of-the-art wet and dry mills – the project has thrived in Mexico, producing top lots like this one coming from the town of Orizaba. Cherries are collected from various farms throughout this area and delivered to the Santuario processing facilities.
- Farm Orizaba - Santuario Project
- Varietal Criollo
- Process Fully washed
- Altitude 1,200 to 1,800 metres above sea level
- Town / City Orizaba
- Region Ixhuatlan del Café
- Owner Various
- Tasting Notes Grapes, port wine, passionfruit
- Farm Size 2 - 12 hectares on average
Coffee first arrived in Mexico in the late 1700s, introduced by Spanish settlers. These days the country produces a significant amount of coffee, though its place as a producer of coffee on a global scale has been significantly diminished due to the entry of untraditional Arabica producers on the scene and, in particular, due to crop losses due to coffee leaf rust. Although the country is one of the foremost exporters of certified coffee (both organic and fair trade), the specialty market for quality is yet to make significant inroads here. This is not because Mexico lacks potential for producing quality lots: the country boasts a huge number of growing regions with agreeable altitudes and climates, as well as hundreds of thousands of experienced, well-established small-scale farmers. With more than 600 thousand hectares in 12 states under primarily Arabica coffee production, Mexico has great untapped potential for the production of specialty lots.