Coffee Story
Throughout the 1900s, coffee production expanded significantly and became essential to Mexico's economy. Substantial investments to improve the industry's infrastructure in the 1970s resulted in rapid growth. However, the government shifted its focus away from supporting coffee in the 1980s, leading to the collapse of some government-run institutions that regulated coffee production and quality. This shift caused a decline in coffee quality, a trend highlighting the industry's challenges and the need for collective action. In response, groups of producers in Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz formed small collectives to purchase and manage mills, developing relationships with buyers to overcome significant challenges and produce high-quality specialty coffee.
About Oaxaca
Oaxaca stands out as a unique area for coffee in Mexico, as the internal market is enthusiastic about purchasing Oaxacan coffee. Thus, Osito and our partners on the ground in Mexico work diligently to source these small lots of coffee. They invest time and effort to curate lots with similar screen sizes, moisture levels, and water activity. The labour and dedication required to secure these unique lots are always worthwhile; these coffees are not just exciting, but also highlight a side of Mexican coffee that is often underexplored and underappreciated. The distinctive characteristics of Oaxacan coffee, such as its rich history, small-scale production, and collective efforts to overcome challenges, make it a genuinely intriguing and worthwhile investment for the specialty coffee industry going forward.
Santo Domingo Teojomulco
Santa Domingo Teojomulco emerged from Sierra Sur in Oaxaca. Mexico is full of small coffee producers—some producing as little as 5-10 kg per year. Limited quantities do not mean quality is low; quite the opposite is often true. Producers have actively chosen quality over expanding their lot production, focusing on growing the best of what they have, instead of just more. Grown by diverse smallholder farmers in the surrounding region on tiny plots, these beautifully balanced field blends of Typica, Bourbon, and Mundo Novo are sorted by screen size, moisture, and water activity to group consistent lots.
