Ocotzalan / Mexico

Despite being a previously robust coffee-growing country, coffee farming in Mexico is now mostly centered around small communities and individual producers. Most of these producers are Indigenous people who grow coffee on relatively small lots of land, less than 3 hectares. As a result, many of these producers form informal cooperatives or find other ways to collaborate to mitigate the risk of a failed crop and command the best prices for their coffee.

Margarita Cabrera Poblano’s farm Ocotzalan is named in Nahuatl for the Mexican white pine tree forest that surrounds the area. Translated from Nahuatl it translates to “among the ocotes.” Here, she farms only 1.5 hectares of land. Margarita has been growing coffee for 30 years and has spent all these years honing her craft—pruning her coffee plants, planting shade trees, and fertilizing—producing the best specialty coffee she can. She has been able to support her family and hopes to pass the trade down to her children and grandchildren to support their families and generate jobs for others in the community.

Coffee Profile

Coffee Bio

Margarita’s years of dedication and careful practice become clear as you taste this coffee. Initially, it could be mistaken for a simple chocolate and nutty coffee, but as it cools, it reveals a wonderful depth of flavor. The robust chocolatey notes give way to fruity tones of cherry and plum paired with a mild earthiness and a mellow apple-like acidity, adding just the right amount of juiciness to the cup.