Guatemalan Huehuetenango ACODIHUE Washed - April 2026
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Time to read 2 min
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Time to read 2 min
This month’s Roaster’s Choice takes us to the towering mountains of western Guatemala, where high elevations and a fiercely independent farming culture produce some of the most celebrated coffees in Central America.
Grown high in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, this coffee brings together vibrant terroir, traditional processing, and a cooperative built around community support and generational sustainability.
The result is a beautifully balanced cup with notes of coffee liqueur, praline, and blackberry; rich, sweet, and layered with subtle fruit complexity.
Grower: ACODIHUE
Region: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Cultivar: Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Maragogype, Pache
Altitude: 1400 - 2200 masl
Process: Washed
Harvest: December - May
Roast Level: Medium
Roast Body: Mild
Cupping Notes: Coffee Liqueur, Praline, Blackberry
Founded in 1996, ACODIHUE is a Fair Trade and Organic certified cooperative made up of community associations and farmer groups across the Huehuetenango region.
Today, the organization represents more than 40,000 farmers across:
16 municipalities in Huehuetenango
2 municipalities in San Marcos
2 municipalities in Totonicapán
The cooperative focuses heavily on improving the lives of its members through programs addressing food security, education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and agricultural training.
Huehuetenango is home to many indigenous communities with deep cultural ties to the land, making organic cultivation and sustainable farming practices a natural fit for the region.
One of the most unique aspects of ACODIHUE is the extraordinary role women play in coffee production.
Approximately 80% of the cooperative’s coffee is grown by indigenous women producers in the mountainous Cuchumatanes region. Many men from the area migrate to the United States for work, leaving women in Huehuetenango to manage farms, households, and coffee production.
To recognize their contributions, ACODIHUE created the “Manos de Mujer” (Women’s Hands) designation.
Only 22% of the cooperative’s annual production qualifies for this distinction, representing a refined selection of coffees grown and managed by these women producers.
Within their local Mam language community, this network of growers is known as Awal Nan, meaning “sown by women.”
ACODIHUE is also deeply invested in the future of coffee farming in Huehuetenango.
The cooperative has developed a generational advocacy program that prepares the children of coffee farmers to inherit and manage family farms.
Through this initiative, young growers receive training in:
Organic production
Agronomic best practices
Post-harvest processing
Coffee marketing and sales
In 2019, ACODIHUE established a youth commission, giving younger producers a voice in cooperative decision-making and the opportunity to help guide the future of the organization.
Huehuetenango is widely recognized as one of the most distinctive coffee regions in Guatemala.
Unlike the country’s volcanic growing regions, Huehuetenango sits within the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America.
Several factors combine to create exceptional coffee here:
Extreme altitude. Farms reach elevations above 2,000 meters
Dry winds from Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain protect crops from frost
Cool mountain climates slow bean development
Remote terrain encourages smallholder, family-run farms
Because many farms historically lacked centralized mills, Huehuetenango farmers developed their own micro-mills, processing coffee on-site and contributing to the region’s reputation for meticulous quality and complex flavor profiles.
Today, Huehuetenango stands among the eight official coffee-growing regions recognized by ANACAFE, Guatemala’s national coffee association.
Fresh Roasted Coffee’s Roaster’s Choice program is your gateway to discovering exceptional coffees from around the world.
This month’s featured selection, Guatemala Huehuetenango ACODIHUE Washed, highlights the remarkable balance and sweetness that have made Huehuetenango one of Guatemala’s most celebrated coffee regions.
Order a Roaster’s Choice subscription before May 5th, 2026 to experience this limited selection for yourself.
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC offers Roaster’s Choice coffees in bagged coffee as well as classic pods. Subscribers can choose from 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscription plans.
Ready to savor the unparalleled flavors of this month’s Roaster’s Choice? Limited quantities available, so don’t miss out!