Guatemala Bosques de San Francisco Nº 52

The Dalton family honours its coffee-growing heritage and is currently being operated by the 5th and 6th generations. Coffee represents 214.64 hectares of the entire farm. Like most farms in Guatemala, Finca Filadelfia (of which Bosques de San Francisco is 1/4) originally harvested Cochinille. In 1864 it transitioned to coffee amidst a countrywide recession. Cochinille was used to produce a natural fabric dye colour “Carmine.” As the industrial revolution evolved, Germany developed synthetic dyes removing the need for the natural carmine colour. Farms across Guatemala faced a devastating recession. Manuel Matheu (Marta’s great great great grandfather) borrowed the land at Filadelfia initially where he planted some coffee in 1864. In his first harvest, he went to London to sell his first crop. After returning from London, he was commissioned by the President of Guatemala to show small farmers how to grow coffee. Thus was born the Antigua coffee-growing region. Eventually, Manuel’s son purchased what is now Finca Filadelfia. The passion for coffee has been passed down to 6 generations. Marta’s great grandmother Elisa ran the farm until she was 95 years old and won the first two Cup of Excellence in 2001 and 2002.