The Coffee Route – A Coffee Lover’s Vacation in Mexico
By Dave Skinner
Most people think of Colombia as the country most famous for growing coffee, but there is also a very important coffee growing area in the state of Chiapas, in the mountains above the Pacific coast of southern Mexico. Many small farmers grow coffee there in the rich volcanic soils of this region next to the border with Guatemala. The area is famous for its organic shade-grown coffee comprising 60% of the world production of certified organic coffee. There are many small farmers here who belong to coffee cooperatives or sell their crops to “coyotes” – brokers and middlemen who arrange the sale and export of the coffee beans. It has been a real struggle for these small growers to compete with the larger producers in other coffee growing countries due to rising costs and falling coffee prices.
Some of the oldest coffee farms in the area were established in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s by German settlers. With the volatility of coffee prices, some of these farms have turned to tourism to supplement their income. There are excellent lodging facilities with opportunities to visit the natural areas as well as the archeological sites just outside of Tapachula. The area is known as “La Ruta del Cafe” (The Coffee Route) as it winds through the mountains below the Tacaná Volcano.
Finca Hamburgo – Founded in 1888 by Arthur Edelmann from Perleberg, Germany. It offers comfortable lodging with an on-site bar and restaurant.
Finca La Chiripa – Founded in 1930, this sister property of the Edelmann family produces the world famous Maragogipe Coffee.
Finca Argovia – Founded in 1880 by a Swiss family Argau, and later bought by the German family Glesemann. Here they have established a luxury resort and coffee farm in the center of the coffee growing region.
Finca Santa Rita – This coffee farm was also founded by the family Glesemann and specializes in shade-grown organic coffee.
Finca Irlanda – Founded in 1928 by the German family of Rodolfo Peters, this farm was purchased from an Irish family, thus the name Finca Irlanda. In 1967 they became the first certified organic coffee grower in the world. There is also a private reserve there with trails through primary forest areas.
Finca San Francisco – It is situated high in the mountains at 1500 meters above sea level and has over 15,000 square meters of greenhouses with many tropical flowers such as orchids and anthuriums.
Finca Santo Domingo – Founded in the early 1900’s by the German Braw family. The main house was built in 1920 was renovated in 1997 after being abandoned for 30 years.
For further information I recommend contacting Dr. Arturo Cordova Cortes with Macaw Tours Tapachula. They are on Facebook at www.facebook.com/macawtours.tapachula.
