Santa Cruz Maragogype

Whole Bean

Origin: Mexico
Region: Chiapas
Farm: Santa Cruz
Variety: Maragogype
Process: Natural
Harvest: 2022
Tasting Notes: Stawberry, Vanilla, Cherry

About the Cooperative

Run by the innovative Pepé Arguello, the farm is already achieving widespread notoriety in just its third year running. Last year, Pepe won COE Mexico. Pepe’s lots’ flavor profiles include ripe purple fruit like black currant, raisin, date, and plum, a saturated amber honey sweetness, and a complex acidity, both tartaric and malic, layered throughout.

Pepé’s father was a well-known producer in Chiapas, and when Pepé purchased Finca Santa Cruz, he decided to build the business around specialty. With land at 1700 masl on the Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, his farming practices reflect his desire for a more precise, agronomically advanced, and conservation-focused approach: he harvests cherry according to Brix (measuring the sugar content of the fruit), ferments according to pH (the actual acidity of the fermentation), and generally seeks experimentation, growth, and collaboration. The area is biodiverse, filled with native Inga trees that also provide shade, allowing the coffee to grow in harmony with the surrounding reserve rather than in conflict with it. Pepe’s goal is to slowly increase production as well as quality and gain wider international recognition.