Peña Colorada - Washed, Mexico

Coffee Origin:

Oaxaca, Mexico

The Mazateca mountain range is located to the north of Oaxaca city and forms much of the state’s border with Veracruz. The region is very remote, hard to access and marked by its steep and dramatic topography. The Mazateca is also known for its more mystical elements, with a strong culture of shamanism and psychoactive mushroom use that saw it become an unlikely centre for alternative tourism in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Today the region is rarely visited, and even in the coffee world it is often neglected due to the challenging conditions, remote locations and small production. Even by Oaxaca’s low standards production yields are tiny here, in part due to the cool temperatures. Coffee is generally grown at 1500 metres and above in the Mazateca. At this latitude these altitudes can experience very low temperatures, making frost damage a real issue for producers.

This climate and these altitudes also contribute positively to the cup profile and in general, coffees from the Mazateca are among the most complex and highest quality in all of Mexico.

Coffee Producer:

Raymuno Cano

The Peña Colorada group is not a formal co-op or association but rather a community led producer group. Working closely with them, we are aiming to open up access to the specialty market for producers in the Mazateca, and to provide a sustainable and profitable supply chain for their coffees. Doing this will provide a long term, stable, and profitable alternative to simply selling to local intermediaries at a market-based price- currently the only option for many producers. In time this supply chain can help to generate capital and investment to help improve yields, production volumes and quality in the Mazateca.