COFFEE WITH
A STORY
Inspired by Nature
Surrounded by the stunning beauty of Lake Atitlán, Marin met Carlos through their common attraction to nature, and they bonded further over their enjoyment of Guatemala’s incredible products and culture.
One day, Carlos took Marin to visit his coffee plantations up on the hillsides of Volcán San Pedro, showing him the natural treasures that grow in the sacred soils of the volcano.
Wanting to share with the world the incredible coffee of Lake Atitlán and its thriving Mayan culture, the two friends took on the challenge of starting an artisanal coffee brand that would tell the story of the Mayans through coffee, while creating opportunities locally.
Enchanting The World
Through Nature
And Culture
A Heritage To Preserve
Carlos draws his coffee lineage directly from his Mayan ancestors.
His grandmother passed down to him the ancestral recipe of coffee cultivation and preparation that her family had carefully preserved through hundreds of years in the volcanic mountains of Lake Atitlán.
Desirous to preserve the natural beauty of Lake Atitlán along with his ancestral traditions, Carlos has always practiced and taught others the Mayan cultivating and harvesting methods, that only use natural means and the land’s powers to grow the very best natural products.
However, given Guatemala’s limited resources, Carlos quickly realised that preserving his culture would have to go hand in hand with sharing it beyond its borders, fuelling his desire to get the fruits of his work to coffee lovers all over the world.
An Unlikely Encounter
Marin has always had an adventurous heart. As a Frenchman from Brittany who grew up in Poland and studied in Hong Kong and Taiwan, taking leaps across oceans has never phased him. But even for him, spontaneously arriving in Guatemala in the midst of the pandemic was a surprising decision.
First falling in love with the country’s incredible nature, its uniquely preserved Mayan culture, and Guatemala’s dazzling natural and crafted goods, he immediately felt at home surrounded by this land’s enchanting energy.
This led him to continuing his journey to Lake Atitlán, considered as the center of the world by the Mayans, where on his very first day while looking for a room to rent, he met a young man that would drastically change the course of his next few years.
The Day It All Began
Quickly creating a bond that surpassed cultures and borders, Marin and Carlos spent a lot of time discussing the beauty and richness of Guatemala, while also lamenting the limited opportunities available locally that push too many skilled young people to leave the country, putting the traditions in peril.
But when one day, on a pristinely clear winter afternoon, Carlos took Marin up the slopes of Volcán San Pedro, the way to both preserve Lake Atitlán, and create opportunities for themselves and others, became very clear.
Bringing Cafecito
To Life
Facing a beautiful coffee plant full of deliciously ripe cherries, Carlos explained the care, dedication and energy that goes into growing and harvesting the plants, but lamented the lack of distribution opportunities.
Due to the lack of other options, locals are forced to sell their cherries to big companies who process the coffee and keep the profits.
Marin believing that coffee, nature and culture lovers worldwide would love to experience the essence of natural Mayan coffee and its ancestral traditions, proposed that they unite their strengths and experience to create a company that would carry their values of preserving and enhancing nature, culture and local communities.
On the spot, the two young men decided to bring a Mayan coffee experience, from farm to cup in the most direct way possible, to people worldwide. Cafecito was born.
