Legacy Series - Guatemala, Finca Santa Ines
ORIGINALLY RELEASED
November 2024
HIGHLIGHTS
Legacy Series: Spotlights family-owned farms
Origin: Panama - Paso Ancho, Volcán
Farm: Carmen Estate, operated by the Franceschi family
HIGHLIGHTS
Legacy Series: Spotlights family-owned farms
Origin: Guatemala - Antigua
Farm: Finca Santa Ines, operated by the Minondo family
From: Coffee Shrub’s “Farm Gate” Program
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
I’ll be taking this one to a medium roast - expect light caramel and cocoa with a hint of spice. The final cup’s got both excellent body and a nice clean finish. Makes for a great shot of espresso, and just as pleasing as a drip.
ORIGIN STORY
Our LEGACY SERIES celebrates coffee from family-owned farms. These beans were grown on Finca Santa Ines, a farm owned and operated by the Minondo family.
The Santa Ines de Medina coffee farm sits on a plot of land that has been in the Minondo family for centuries - specifically, since the late 1800s. Today the farm is run by Raul Minondo Ayau and his daughter Isabela Minondo.
This is a multi-generational origin story that begins with Isabela’s great great grandfather, Carlos Herrera. Carlos, who was the original owner of the farm, passed the torch to his daughter Margarita, who then passed the baton over to her son Raul Minondo, who then handed over the keys to his son Raul Minondo Ayau - if you’re still following, Raul Minondo Ayau is, yes - Isabela’s dad.
Raul Minondo Ayau was an agricultural engineer, and Isabela used to work for the Guatemala government coffee association ANACAFE. ANACAFE represents over 125,000 coffee-growing families, and its mission is to help make coffee-growing a sustainable, competitive, and successful sector in Guatemala. They do this by offering coffee producers technical training, continued education, and resources to hone their craft and strengthen their operations.
Undeniably, Raul & Isabela are a father-daughter force to be reckoned with in the family farm’s 4th generation of operation. Their combined talents and dedication have led to an amazing lot of specialty beans that I’m excited to roast for you all.
The coffee is part of Coffee Shrub’s direct trade buying program called Farm Gate. Through this program, Coffee Shrub is committed to paying coffee producers premium prices for quality coffee. At a minimum, Farm Gate guarantees prices that are 50% over Fair Trade (FT) pricing, and oftentimes, greater than 100%+ more that FT minimums.
MORE ABOUT THE LEGACY SERIES
Our Legacy Series shines a light on coffee from family-owned farms. Beans featured in this series come from family farms that have been passed down for generations, and others that may just be getting started. With each roast, we feature one farm/one family at a time, giving each the spotlight they deserve. Growing coffee takes tremendous skill, physical strength, mental fortitude, and just the right amount of luck. Layer on top of that: high production costs and volatile market prices, thin (or negative) margins in a global supply chain that has traditionally never prioritized its growers, and the pressure of providing for your family. The Legacy Series is about passion, hard work, resilience, and grit. True legacies aren’t born, they’re cultivated.
