San Juan de la Unión, Filter - Mexico

San Juan de la Unión is a small community nestled in the Sierra de Flores Magón, Oaxaca. This is where the lot gets its name. The coffee is the result of the collective work of several Mazatec coffee-growing families who, for the first time, ventured into experimenting with anaerobic fermentation in washed coffees.

Mazatec producers cultivate their coffee in mountain or rusticano systems, models characterised by low environmental impact and high ecological conservation, where the coffee plants coexist harmoniously with the surrounding forest ecosystem. On these farms, one finds both timber and fruit trees, such as plantain, citrus fruits, apple, peach, pomegranate, and cuajinicuil. These diverse crops not only enrich the landscape and local diet but also serve as natural shade that protects the coffee plants from solar radiation and heavy rainfall.

San Juan de la Unión is one of the most marginalised communities of the Mazatec Sierra. Coffee plots are often located in the lower areas of the communities, making access to them particularly difficult, as the paths are narrow and hard to traverse. To support producers in this region, Ensambles established, in 2021, a collection warehouse and a mobile laboratory in Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, reducing the distance to these remote areas. In addition, a team of field technicians accompanies producers year-round, providing training in sustainable agricultural practices, wet processing, and post-harvest management.

• Region: Oaxaca
• Country: Mexico
• Elevation: 1,600 - 1,900 masl
• Variety: Typica, Bourbon,Mundo Novo 
• Process: Dried in clean parchment