GUATEMALA - ALLAN MELGAR

Allan Melgar’s famous coffee is BACK! For the second year in a row, it’s still just as striking. This micro-lot delivers a creamy cup with notes of grape, a nice acidity, and a chocolatey roundness. The sweetness comes through equally well in both espresso and filter. In espresso, if you pull a longer shot, you get a very fruity profile, almost like grape juice. If you shorten the shot (around 32 g), it becomes an excellent base for a milk-based drink.

Allan Melgar is a third-generation coffee producer working side by side with his father, Fernando, on their 28-hectare farm near Casillas, Guatemala. In 2022, Allan decided to step off the beaten path and experiment with natural processing, still far from common in Guatemala. The result? An explosive micro-lot that Semilla, the coffee importer, was thrilled to purchase. Since then, Allan hasn’t let go of naturals. He continues to push his drying techniques, refine his style, and bring this incredible coffee back to us year after year.

Allan and Fernando are also key figures in Café Colis Resistencia, a bold movement created by Alex Reynoso to support Xinka coffee producers in Mataquescuintla. These farmers, often marginalized, fight for fair prices, market access, and technical resources. With their privileged position, the Melgars provide vital economic support to this community, embodying a spirit of solidarity and innovation. Their story reflects both the challenges and hopes of an industry marked by structural inequalities, as well as the promise of a future where small producers and Indigenous farmers can thrive through fair and sustainable practices.