The Story of Mexican Coffee and Estate Recommendations: Oaxaca Region

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The latitude and climate of northern Mexico are unsuitable for coffee cultivation, as coffee growing regions are all located in the south. Ninety percent of Mexico's coffee comes from four southern provinces: Chiapas (35%), Oaxaca (13%), Puebla (15%), and Veracruz (25%). Nearly half a million people nationwide are engaged in coffee cultivation, with 70% being small farmers. Unlike Brazil, almost all coffee cultivation and processing rely on manual labor, and many coffees are grown organically. Mexico is one of the world's largest exporters of organic coffee, accounting for 60% of global organic coffee production in 2000. Chiapas and Oaxaca, the two coffee-producing provinces, are Mexico's poorest regions with the highest indigenous populations. Towering mountains impede transportation, and differences in language and ethnicity mean that liberation from Spanish colonial rule did not bring prosperity to the south.

Coffee arrived relatively late in Mexico. In the late 18th century, Spanish immigrants brought coffee trees from Cuba and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. However, commercial coffee cultivation didn't begin until the 1790s, when German and Italian immigrants arrived from Guatemala and Central America, establishing the first coffee plantations in Veracruz. Mexico has maintained its small farmer tradition, and after the Mexican Revolution, agricultural reforms allowed indigenous people and farmers to own small plots of land for self-sufficiency. The 1970s and 1980s were the golden age for Mexican coffee. In 1973, the National Coffee Institute of Mexico (INMECAFE) was established, providing small farmers with technical assistance, loans, guaranteed purchase, and even access to international markets. Coffee production increased, with some regions seeing growth of up to 900%, significantly improving social development in remote areas.

For Caribbean and other Central American countries, bananas and coffee might be the most important economic products, but Mexico has extremely rich mineral resources. During the Spanish colonial era, these were precious metals like gold and silver, while today it's oil. For Mexico, oil, industry, and tourism are far more important than coffee. The southern coffee farmers who produce coffee are mostly indigenous people and are typically given the lowest priority. Coffee prices are determined by the world market—futures prices in London and New York. When coffee prices are good, profits are monopolized by large multinational exporters. When prices are poor, the farmers suffer.

The best coffee-producing region in Mexico is Chiapas in the southern part of the country. Coffee varieties grown here include Tapanchula and Huixtla. The Oaxaca region also produces premium coffee beans, with naturally grown Pluma Coixtepec coffee beans being among the finest. The Oaxaca region also produces Altura Orizaba coffee and Altura Huatusco coffee. The Altura Coatapec region produces Veracruz coffee. Mexico's best large coffee beans are Liquidambar MS coffee beans.

OAXACA

Most farmers in the OAXACA region own less than 2 hectares (4.4 acres) of land and belong to several large cooperatives. There are also some larger estates, though some have developed diversified tourism.

Altitude: 900-1,700m

Harvest: December-March

Varieties: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Maragogype

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou-based roastery with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, offering both famous and lesser-known beans, as well as online shop services.

https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473