Tamarind, Milk Chocolate, Red Plum

Location: Oaxaca

Varietal: Bourbon, Typica, Pluma

Process: Washed

Elevation: 1700-1900 masl

Our Second selection of the season from Mexico is a well rounded sessionable coffee that is vibrant with rustic sweetness, but approachable for those that want a less acidic quality in the cup. As filter, this coffee is bursting with cola, toffee, and sugar, while as an espresso, the flavors remain similar, but more sweetness and acidity comes in to play. We purchased this coffee from Red Fox Coffee Merchants, and below is some further info from them.

The Sochiapam municipality is one of the largest coffee growing areas in all of Oaxaca. To get there, we have to travel almost 6 hours from Oaxaca on a paved road. The road ends in the center of the community, from which it takes another hour on foot to get to the farms. This entire road is uphill since the farms in Sochiapam are mostly located at the highest elevations.

Sochiapam is heavily wooded and has a lot of wildlife. It shelters a protected natural reserve in which all kinds of commercial activity such as logging, agriculture, hunting, fishing, and beyond are prohibited. Sochiapam’s producers are vigilant in ensuring that this preserve is kept intact.

The producers here typically have at least 1 mule to transport their coffee and other produce such as corn or beans. Most farms are small at 1 to 2 hectares, but we also find some that are a little bigger, up to 5 hectares. The producers in Sochiapam speak Chinanteco and Spanish.

For many years Sochiapam was known for producing large volumes of coffee rather than quality. Many producers didn’t know best practices for facilitating the quality for which Sochiapam has so much potential.

Red Fox first received samples from Sochiapam in 2022. We saw that potential immediately and knew that we could achieve that outcome with training on selective harvesting, proper fermentation and drying times, best varieties to plant, and other detail work that makes for great coffee. That year we began by purchasing 2,000 kg of parchment coffee: a small amount that represented the first step in a long and strong business relationship.

They laid out the value proposition of replacing rust-resistant hybrid varieties with ones that yield better cup quality, harvesting selectively instead of strip-picking, fermenting for the necessary amount of time and drying the coffee on better facilities than just patios. Many producers were reluctant to follow these recommendations since they were not 100% sure that all this effort could really obtain a real growth in their profits. Little by little some producers began to make the necessary changes on the farms. These first producers saw great results and provided proof of concept for a communal shift from quantity-first farming to quality-first. The most enthusiastic about the change were the younger producers, who with their curiosity, competitiveness, and commitment to continuous improvement, led the way and encouraged the rest.

Now at each harvest we work hand in hand with the producers in the area, providing specific, timely, and high-quality feedback and supporting them to improve both quality and quantity.