Sunset over the Cuchumatanes Mountains

Guatemalan Huehuetenango ACODIHUE Washed - April 2026

Written by: Katelinne Harner

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Published on

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Time to read 2 min

Guatemalan Huehuetenango

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

The ACODIHUE Cooperative

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


Volcanic Mountains in Guatemala

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.

Young girl walking away through the grass.

Coffee Grown By Women

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.

5 Women Coffee Farmers posing in front of the mountains of Huehuetenango
Image sourced from www.acodihue.com

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.”


Supporting the Next Generation

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.

Kids doing school work in Guatemala
Image sourced from www.acodihue.com
Children in Guatemala standing around a bag of ACODIHUE coffee
Image sourced from www.acodihue.com

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: One of Guatemala’s Premier Coffee Regions

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

An old home sitting on top of a mountain looking out over the clouds at sunset in the Cuchumatanes

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.

How Do I Get This Coffee?

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. 

Roaster

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!