Country: Mexico
Region: La Concordia, Chiapas
Process: Natural
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Altitude: 1,600 metres above sea level
 
This Red Bourbon natural was intentionally produced by Marco Romero Santiz as a separated varietal rather than being blended into a larger community lot. The aim was to capture the character of Red Bourbon more clearly, using careful harvest timing and controlled processing to preserve structure and texture.
 
Marco Romero Santiz grew up in the indigenous Tzeltal community of Emiliano Zapata, Chiapas, where coffee has been part of his family’s livelihood for three generations. Today, Marco splits his time between his own farm and Beneficio Edelmira, the micromill where he oversees processing, and acts as the main point of contact for surrounding Tzeltal communities.
 
Over the past two years, Marco has taken on the task of mapping coffee cultivars plot by plot across his community. This work revealed that some varieties were consistently performing better than others but were being lost in blended lots. By identifying and separating these cultivars, and using the infrastructure at Beneficio Edelmira, Marco has been able to process smaller, more defined lots that better reflect the work done on the farm.
 
His role sits at the intersection of production and processing. By combining local knowledge with controlled post-harvest methods, Marco is helping farmers in La Concordia move from bulk cherry sales towards coffees with clearer identity and stronger market potential.
 
 
Many thanks to Marco Romero Santiz, Edelmira, and Omwani for allowing me to use their excellent images