Finca La Hermosa

Max Perez is a 5th generation coffee farmer. He and his family are originally from Huehuetenango and have a family farm there that is run by his father. 11 years ago, Max and wife had an opportunity to buy an abandoned farm that has since become Finca La Hermosa.

Since the farm had been abandoned for a significant amount of time, everything needed to be renovated. Plants were pulled up, fields were tilled, raked, and maintained, shade trees were planted, and the construction of a wet mill ensued. This amount of investment is actually quite risky. Since the coffee market is super volatile and doesn’t always offer profit margins, farmers who make investments like that are often driven by something more than profit margins. Instead, they see coffee as a long term investment/adventure/lifestyle.

It’s what we really admire about Max. He sees into the future and is willing to sow the seeds in the present with the hope to see it flourish in the years to come; despite the risk. When asked if his objective behind La Hermosa was to produce the best coffees in Guatemala, his response was admirable. “Of course it’d be nice to have great coffees, but I’d rather like to see us selling larger volume in a way that can sustain the farm and the next generation.” (Paraphrase as he nods to his son.) At the same time, Max is also known for producing significantly great coffees (89+ Coffees) as he holds several Cup of Excellence awards. To get a response like this out of Max really showed us his genuine humility.

Today, Finca La Hermosa has a fully functioning wet mill, a couple of chicken coops, and a house he and his family live in during the harvesting months. It’s a farm we’re really proud to represent and a farming family we’re even more excited about. His coffees are stellar but his family, personality and character are what drive us to want to continue supporting Finca La Hermosa year after year.