This exceptional lot comes to us from the region of San Pedro Sochiapam, north of Oaxaca City in Mexico. Hannah and Matthew had the opportunity to visit this region in 2024 and connect with some producers in the region. It is a little-known gem in Oaxacan coffee with a lot of potential for specialty grade coffee. This info comes to us from our exporting partners at Red Fox Coffee:
Country: Mexico
Region: Oaxaca
Province: La Cañada
District: Cuicatlán
Community: San Pedro Sochiapam
Altitude: 1700-1900 masl
Farm Area: 2 hectares
Variety: Typica, Bourbon, Caturra
Process: washed
Fermentation: 18-24 hours in wood tanks
Drying: 6-10 days on the roofs
Gregorio Quintero
Gregorio Quintero has always been a coffee producer.
He learned from his father the agricultural techniques that now he applies in his farm.
His farm is named "Loma Petroleo" means oil hill. To get to Loma Petroleo we have to walk for almost 40 minutes uphill from the center of the community. Gregorio transports his coffee via mule. All his harvesting is done within his family and community. He speaks his native language, Chinanteco. Gregorio has his own washing station at his house, where he ferments his coffee in wooden tanks for 24 hours, then dries it for 5-8 days on the roof of his house.
He usually keeps a distance of 2 meters between rows and 1.5 meters between seedlings. Between each row, he places a plant that serves to separate the rows and keep the coffee trees apart. He uses native trees such as ice cream bean trees and avocado to shade their coffee trees. These trees provide not only shade, but also various benefits such as food, ornamentation, medicine, construction materials, nitrogen fixing, and water retention.
Sochiapam
The Sochiapam municipality is one of the largest coffee growing areas in all of Oaxaca. To get there, we have to travel almost 6 hours from Oaxaca on a paved road. The road ends in the center of the community, from which it takes another hour on foot to get to the farms. This entire road is uphill since the farms in Sochiapam are mostly located at the highest elevations. Sochiapam is heavily wooded and has a lot of wildlife. It shelters a protected natural reserve in which all kinds of commercial activity such as logging, agriculture, hunting, fishing, and beyond are prohibited. Sochiapam’s producers are vigilant in ensuring that this preserve is kept intact.
The producers here typically have at least 1 mule to transport their coffee and other produce such as corn or beans. Most farms are small at 1 to 2 hectares, but we also find some that are a little bigger, up to 5 hectares. The producers in Sochiapam speak Chinanteco and Spanish. A distinct characteristic that differentiates them from other communities is that Sochiapam is home to producers of all ages. The reason that outward migration in this area is not as heavy as in many surrounding areas is that Sochiapam has solid infrastructure, hospitals, schools, stores, and other things needed for modern life. This makes it possible for young people to find almost everything they need in Sochiapam; they don’t have to migrate to other cities or countries in search of opportunities or basic services.
For many years Sochiapam was known for producing large volumes of coffee rather than quality. Many producers didn’t know best practices for facilitating the quality for which Sochiapam has so much potential.
Red Fox first received samples from Sochiapam in 2022. We saw that potential immediately and knew that we could achieve that outcome with training on selective harvesting, proper fermentation and drying times, best varieties to plant, and other detail work that makes for great coffee. That year we began by purchasing 2,000 kg of parchment coffee: a small amount that represented the first step in a long and strong business relationship.
We laid out the value proposition of replacing rust-resistant hybrid varieties with ones that yield better cup quality, harvesting selectively instead of strip-picking, fermenting for the necessary amount of time and drying the coffee on better facilities than just patios. Many producers were reluctant to follow these recommendations since they were not 100% sure that all this effort could really obtain a real growth in their profits. Little by little some producers began to make the necessary changes on the farms. These first producers saw great results and provided proof of concept for a communal shift from quantity-first farming to quality-first. The most enthusiastic about the change were the younger producers, who with their curiosity, competitiveness, and commitment to continuous improvement, led the way and encouraged the rest. Now at each harvest we work hand in hand with the producers in the area, providing specific, timely, and high-quality feedback and supporting them to improve both quality and quantity.
