Luis "Wicho" Valdes
Luis "Wicho" Valdés' coffee from the Santa Isabel farm has been a recurring favourite for many years now! This coffee has a well-deserved place in our Farmers series, and this year's harvest, a washed Caturra, is both crisp and elegant with a caramel sweetness, flavours of grapes, red apples, and a hint of white currants.
In 1960, Don Luis Valdés bought back the old family farm, Santa Isabel, which had first been in the family's possession since 1875. He started growing coffee in 1965, and today, his son Wicho is in charge of the entire farm. Wicho grew up helping his father on the farm and fell in love with coffee at an early age. After studying agronomy, he returned to Santa Isabel in 1998. Today, Wicho has three children who also spend their weekends and school holidays on the farm. "I hope they will find a love for coffee like I did."
The Valdés family deeply cares about the environment and has set aside nearly a third of the farm, 88 hectares, as a forest with cedar, pine, and mahogany trees that protect water resources and promote biodiversity. The remaining 200 hectares of the farm are dedicated to coffee production, with a wide range of coffee varieties planted alongside Inga trees, common in Guatemala, which provide shade and improve soil quality. Wicho also uses a systematic pruning approach that enhances ventilation and light, reducing fungal diseases like coffee leaf rust and the need for treatments.
Since late 2021, Santa Isabel has reduced the use of chemicals and non-organic materials. Wicho has established a lab on the farm to create natural solutions that make the coffee trees more resistant to diseases. Thanks to this, he no longer uses pesticides and has halved the use of fungicides. The coffee trees are now healthier, and the quality is expected to improve even further. During 2024, only 10% of the trees showed signs of coffee leaf rust, compared to 30% the previous year.
The Coban region receives around 3,500 mm of rainfall annually, making pruning necessary to avoid fungal diseases. This also creates a long and rather irregular flowering, which causes quite a bit of extra work during the harvest. Sometimes, pickers pass a coffee tree up to ten times to pick all the cherries at their perfect ripeness!
After picking, the coffee is pulped and placed in tanks to ferment for 48 hours. Then, it is washed and soaked in water for another 24 hours. The coffee is then dried outdoors for a few days before being moved to well-ventilated greenhouses. The drying process is carefully monitored to achieve even moisture content and water activity, all to ensure a stable, high-quality coffee.
We are very proud to present Wicho's coffee—for the 10th year in a row! We've roasted it with a short and aggressive roast profile to bring out the elegant and caramel sweetness in the best way possible. This means we apply a lot of heat at the beginning, then lower the temperature. This way, we preserve the acidity and freshness of the coffee, while still finding balance and sweetness in the cup.
Origin: Cobán, Guatemala
Producer: Luis "Wicho" Valdés
Farm: Santa Isabel
Altitude: 1600 m
Variety: Caturra
Process: Washed
Flavours: Crisp yet elegant with a caramel sweetness, flavours of grape, red apple and hints of white currant
Exceptional coffee starts at the origin. The Farmers series is a tribute to the skilled and dedicated producers which we have a close relationship with. For this series, we purchase limited quantities of specific lots that really stand out when we taste them. It could be the variety or a specific part of the farm that truly brings out the best in the coffee. The flavours of these coffees are often sweet and floral, with hints of fruit or berries, broadening the horizons on what coffee can taste like. It is with a lot of pride we highlight our producers and their incredible craftsmanship through the coffees in the Farmers series.
We have four different coffee series, from House where the flavours are more familiar, to Prime which offers the absolute top tier of specialty coffee quality.
The House series is the foundation we stand upon, featuring specialty coffees from some of the 15 producers we work with closely, all among the best in the world. Each coffee offers a unique blend and flavour profile, and with such variety in the series, we dare say there’s a taste for (almost) everyone. To follow the harvest seasons, we rotate the origin and recipe throughout the year. This ensures the coffee is always fresh, the flavours consistent, and the cup truly delightful! In this series, you’ll find various espresso and filter coffees, both as whole beans and ground.
The Flavours series is where we truly elevate the natural flavours of each coffee. Most of the coffees are single origin, but as the contents of the product change with harvest seasons, occasionally a blend might better suit the flavour profile. Flavours is perfect for those seeking an exceptional cup where the coffee’s unique taste and character truly gets to shine!
The Farmers series is a tribute to the skilled and dedicated producers which we have a close relationship with. For this series, we purchase limited quantities of specific lots that really stand out when we taste them. It could be the variety or a specific part of the farm that truly brings out the best in the coffee. The flavours of these coffees are often sweet and floral, with hints of fruit or berries, broadening the horizons on what coffee can taste like. It is with a lot of pride we highlight our producers and their incredible craftsmanship.
The Prime series is the top tier of specialty coffee. These coffees are of unmatched quality and flavour and drinking them is an experience itself. Sourced only 3-4 times a year, our Prime coffees are extremely limited and highly coveted, with only around 200 bags available of each. These coffees are often of exclusive and rare varieties and produced using modern and innovative methods. For those seeking the ultimate coffee experience, our Prime series is sure to satisfy even the most refined palates.
We specialize in specialty coffee, which means that all the coffee we purchase scores at least 80 points on a 100-point scale – a grading system established by the international coffee organization SCA.
We hold high standards for the producers we work with, both in terms of sustainability and quality. Both aspects demand more and come at a cost, which we gladly pay. The right price is worth every cent!
10 years or more – that's how long we have been working with several of our producers. Simply because they are the best, and we know and trust each other. When we begin new collaborations, which also happens from time to time, we do so with the intention of celebrating 10 years and beyond with them as well. Our close and longstanding relationships are built on a shared philosophy and a desire to improve the conditions for coffee farmers worldwide. Through sustainability and quality!
