The Dalton Family are pioneers of Guatemalan coffee farming. It was Manuel Matheu who planted the first crops in 1864, on land that he loaned at the time. After his first harvest, he went to London to sell it and booked great success. Upon his return to Guatemala he was asked to continue his coffee cultivation and to teach others as well. This, in the context of the recent industrial farming recession - Guatemala was famed for harvesting ‘Cochineal’, used for dyes - saved many land owners from bankruptcy. When Manuel passed away, his son officially acquired the land on which they planted the first crops, from then on known as Finca Filadelfia. The farm is located in Antigua, a wide valley between three active volcanoes that enrich the soil with their volcanic matter. There is a long tradition of shade growing in the area to protect the soil from frosts and to match the earth’s temperature with that of the air, which averages between 18 to 22 degrees Celsius during daytime. The annual rainfall averages 800 to 1200 mm per year and humidity lingers in the valley, which is beneficial for the soil. 

For all washed coffees on Finca Filadelfia, ripe cherries are measured before picking. When the Brix degree indicates the desired sugar percentage, cherries are picked and brought to the on-site wet mill where they’re floated and sorted. Remaining cherries are pulped and fermented for 24-36 hours in concrete tanks, depending on the weather conditions. When the coffee is ready, it is demucilaged and fermented once more, in water, in the tanks. Another 24 hours later the coffee is washed in washing channels and transported to the patios where they will be dried for 3 days before being transferred to guardiolas, which is a type of mechanical dryer, where the drying continues at a low temperature for another 3 days. Coffee is rested and finally, parchment is taken off when the desired humidity is reached. 

Sourced through our importing partner Coffee Bird.