Guatemalan Coffee Beans

Coffee arrived in Central America from the Caribbean around 1700 and local cultivation began shortly after. Commercial export of Guatemalan Coffee Beans did not begin until the mid 1800’s as the square-rigged sailing ships of the day could only travel downwind.

The History of Coffee in Guatemala

In order to export beans the small growers expanded into full-scale production. This led to a land war of sorts and the larger plantations took over the smaller ones, sometimes by buying them out and sometimes by force. Land for growing Guatemalan Coffee Beans is in small supply, being that the country is about the size of a small U.S. state.

The larger plantations, or fincas, were owned mostly by wealthy descendants of the Spanish Conquistadors who viewed the native Maya people as inferior. They quickly enslaved large populations of Mayans to work on the farms. As you may expect they did not submit voluntarily and a bloody resistance ensued.

In 1877 the Guatemala government passed a law that made it easier for foreigners to get land, granting exemptions for taxes and import duties on machinery and tools. Many Germans fleeing the political unrest in their country took advantage of the opportunity and set up operations to grow, process and export Guatemalan Coffee Beans. The German influence had a very positive effect on the coffee industry in Guatemala.

The Germans brought capital and modernization to a poor and under developed country. They financed the construction of a railroad from the mountainous interior to the sea to transport Guatemala Beans. They built sea ports for the ships and processing plants that were previously unavailable to smaller growing operations.

The Germans also treated the Mayan workers better, paying them for their labor, not as much as they would pay non-Mayan workers but it was definitely an improvement.

This however, caused dissent among the Spanish plantation owners who were used to getting their labor for free. The Spanish tried to lobby the government to pass laws that made paying the Mayan illegal but they were unsuccessful.

Today, Guatemala Coffee Beans are highly respected among aficionados and is prized for its smooth character, balanced acidity and full flavor.

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