FTO Mexico Oaxaca

The growers’ farms were almost completely lost in 2011 due to a fierce bout of roya. For decades the region has produced some fantastic coffee from old arabica vines (some up to 20 years old), but the vast majority of that crop is now gone, having been painstakingly replaced with literally hundreds of thousands of new, quality-driven and rust-resistant saplings courtesy of Growers First. Quality Fair Trade Organic Mexico coffees from Oaxaca are indeed a rarity. In the cup, this Fair Trade Organic Mexico is uniquely Oaxacan – sweet with notes of orange-citrus, very clean, good acidity and no traces of any unpleasant, dusty or earthy characteristics that lower quality Mexicans can frequently exhibit.

In 2011 these Oaxacan farmers were facing a catastrophic roya epidemic. In response Growers First rallied, arriving with workers, chainsaws and fuel, shredding literally thousands of roya-damaged trees into tattered firewood. Many farmers witnessed the decimation of the only coffee crop they had ever known, and one which produced a sweet and very good quality cherry (as is typically the case with old vine), but the downside of old age is increased susceptibility to bacteria and fungus as well as invasive insects. This was a difficult and uncertain time for the farmers. During that period Growers First stayed behind to establish a nursery, plant a new root stock at just the right time and donate saplings that would eventually replenish the region and once again allow us to offer a Fair Trade Organic Mexico coffee from Oaxaca to our roasters.

This new Fair Trade Organic Mexico Oaxacan coffee features a crop of Costa Rica 95, Icatu and Sarchimor varietals—all crossbred hybrids, engineered to produce consistently good yields with extended life expectancies and strong disease resistance. Growers First conducted numerous preliminary tests before making the determination that these types were best suited for Oaxaca’s microclimate to produce a high quality Fair Trade Organic Mexico coffee. Costa Rica 95 (ICAFE 95) is a Catimor-type cross of Timor and Caturra – it has very good resistance to both coffee berry disease and rust, and has been planted extensively throughout Honduras and Costa Rica since the 1980’s. Icatu was developed in Brazil in the 1990’s by the IAC (Instituto Agronômico de Campinas) using Bourbon and Mundo Novo – it has a good cup quality, good disease resistance and produces significantly more cherry than Mundo Novo. Sarchimor (like Costa Rica 95) is a relative of Catimor and a disease resistant cross of Timor and Villa Sarchi, a Bourbon mutation similar to Caturra and Pacas.