Chica Bean emerged directly from problems that small producers face in Jalapa, Guatemala.
Meet a few of the women that make our specialty coffee a reality:
Chica Bean is a direct result of Doña Maritza’s story. Doña Maritza grew up with the dream of becoming an award-winning coffee farmer, despite not actually being from a coffee producing family. She and her husband bought their land, Finca la Hierba Buena, in the mountains of San Pedro Pinula, Jalapa in 1997 where she has worked hard to produce a quality coffee. She has survived market highs and lows, boom and bust harvests, and even a dreaded plight with cancer. There have been times when Maritza was ready to throw in the towel after struggling with the industry norm of taking advantage of producers but her family, including her son, Chica Bean co-founder Josue, wouldn’t let her give up her dream of winning Guatemala’s “Cup of Excellence.” Because of her farm’s proximity to lower, dryer land where she has a small mill and drying patios, she has become a master of Honey and Natural processes. With her 2020 Honey Process reaching a grade of 86.6 SCA, she’s well on her way to achieving her dream… and being appropriately compensated for all her work!
Get all the details about Maritza’s story on our Instagram here!
Location: San Pedro Pinula, Jalapa (1475 mals-1600 mals)
Land Size: 10 hectares (medium sized producer)
Varieties: Catuaí, Caturra, Pache
Coffee plants are 19.4% (+/-3.4%) shade grown
Processing: Honey, Natural, Washed, Washed with an extended fermentation
Find her coffee in our Honey Process, Natural Process, and occasionally Best Batch!
Sucy is the young mother of Lupita, the little Chica Bean in our video, and Cynthia, the newest addition to our producers’ families. She is also Tía Ana’s daughter-in-law. Like everyone in Las Flores, Susy grew up in coffee; however her family didn’t own any land, but rather worked as a day labor on local coffee farms. She is very proud to now be part of a coffee producing family and impresses with her quick learning, detailed processing and record keeping, and never ending work ethic. The first time we purchased coffee processed by Susy, we received a 79 SCA coffee. The following year, after training with a processing expert, Susy gave us an 87 SCA coffee. While many non-coffee people may not understand this improvement, please trust us when we say this improvement is practically unheard of! But it is the perfect example of just how “Pilas” Susy is. Since then, Susy has continued to give us some of our best coffee, almost always making it as our Best Batch.
Location: San Antonio las Flores, Mataquescuintla, Jalapa (1600 mals-1700 mals)
Land Size: 2 hectars (small producer)
Varieties: Catuaí, Caturra, Pache Colis
Coffee plants are heavily shade grown but % unknown
Processing: Washed
Try Susy’s coffee in our Best Batch!
Tía Ana is the mother of 10 children, grandmother of 25, and wife of Tío Coco. Coffee has provided the family’s livelihood since they were married 35 years ago. Together they’ve lived through droughts and floods, market highs and lows. With dismal coffee prices since 2010, several members of their tight-knit family have migrated to the United States in search of a way to make ends meet. This is sadly too common of a story in coffee as increasing input costs make living off of farming nearly impossible. However, now with the just prices paid by Chica Bean and the ability to process their coffee cherries to parchment, household income has significantly increased, allowing more opportunities for her family to remain together and continue supporting each other from within their community.
Location: San Antonio las Flores, Mataquescuintla, Jalapa (1600 mals-1800 mals)
Land Size: 1 hectares (small producer)
Varieties: Catuaí, Caturra, Pache Colis
Coffee plants are 72.4% (+/-15%) shade grown
Processing: Washed
We are currently out of Tía Ana’s coffee
Etelbina is a young mother, an unwavering optimist, and a coffee producer extraordinaire. In 2008, co-founder Alene, then a Peace Corps volunteer, forged a deep bond with her next-door neighbor, Etelbina. Years later, as Alene and her now husband, Josue, delved into the coffee world, Etelbina and her family became a wellspring of inspiration, igniting a spark to directly connect small female producers with coffee enthusiasts in the United States.
Etelbina’s resilience shone through as her community faced hardships, with loved ones compelled to migrate in search of better opportunities. This adversity thrust her into a leadership role within her family’s coffee production. In tandem with her sister, the dynamic duo nurtured their land and enhanced both the size and quality of their production. Their close friendship with Alene offered invaluable insights as Chica Bean began to form as a company with a unique mission – ensuring that coffee producers thrive just as much as coffee consumers.
She continues to be a becan of hope, having played such an important role in creating a network of women that supports her community all while tirelessly working to keep her family together.
Location: San Antonio las Flores, Mataquescuintla, Jalapa (1600 mals-1700 mals)
Land Size: 2.5 hectars (small producer)
Varieties: Catuaí, Caturra, Pache Colis
Coffee plants are heavily shade grown but % unknown
Processing: Washed
We’re currently out of Etelbina’s coffee.
Doña Raquel was born and raised in a coffee producing family and has remained dedicated to this crop her entire life. She is the mother of two grown children, including our other producer Ilcia, and the wife of a coffee producer. Doña Raquel manages her coffee apart from that of her husband to ensure the household is fully provided for and her coffee cared for in a way that she can guarantee quality. She consistently produces exceptional coffee and anticipates investing in improved production with the support of Chica Bean. In February of 2019, with her increased income from Chica Bean, Doña Raquel was able to successfully secure a loan, something she’s never been able to do before.
Location: San Antonio las Flores, Mataquescuintla, Jalapa (1700 mals-1800 mals)
Land Size: 3 hectars (small producer)
Varieties: Catuaí, Caturra, Pache Colis
Coffee plants are 186.7% (+/-5.5%) shade grown
Processing: Washed, Washed extended fermentation with additional yeast
Find her coffee in our: Medium Roast, Dark Roast, or Espresso (depending on the roasting line-up for the day)