Los Milagros

Get to know this coffee in detail

Los Milagros is not a single farm, but a network of small-scale organic coffee producers based in the mountains of Chiapas, in southern Mexico, near the Guatemalan border.

Since 2019, rural communities in remote areas have gradually become part of the project, working together to improve the quality of their coffees and build a more sustainable future.

Through training programmes, access to infrastructure and better connections with the market, producers share knowledge and refine their cultivation and processing practices.

Grown at an altitude of 2,000 metres, this coffee brings together varieties such as Bourbon, Typica and Caturra.

The cherries are carefully hand-picked and processed using the washed method, resulting in a coffee that reflects both the unique conditions of the Chiapas mountains and the hard work and dedication of the communities behind it.

Meet the producer

Los Milagros

A story of perseverance in the mountains of Chiapas

Not every good coffee is good from day one. Some are built slowly, with patience, trial and error and a handful of people willing to do things differently. Los Milagros is one of them.

A group in the mountains of Chiapas

Los Milagros is a community group of smallholder producers in the mountains of Chiapas, in Mexico. Today 150 farmers contribute to it, and in Motozintla de Mendoza they work alongside a technical team and community leaders to bring together coffee deliveries. Long-term relationships, innovation and an understanding of local culture have been key to the group’s continued growth.

Many of these producers live several hours from the warehouse and have no car or truck to move their harvest. So the coffee is gathered in a small temporary warehouse in the mountains, close to the farms, and transport is arranged from there. Without that support, many would not be able to sell into the speciality market and would end up in the commercial one.

When every sample was rejected

The beginning was not easy. When work started in the region, every sample was rejected. It was not for lack of effort: the coffee was processed the way it had always been, mixing cherries of any ripeness, with short fermentations in wooden tanks and very fast drying.

In 2019, some plastic tanks were donated so that ten producers could begin experimenting and sharing good processing practices. Only one followed all the recommendations: Berci Alexander Velasquez, then a 24-year-old young leader, keen to find new opportunities.

At first, the other producers were sceptical and afraid of change. But when they saw Berci begin to deliver A and AA grades and earn a higher income, many were encouraged to follow his lead.

Red cherries and adjusted timings

From there, the work focused on harvesting, with one clear idea: only ripe red cherries. Fermentation times were then adjusted step by step until they identified what worked best, and the progress in quality was considerable.

By 2022, the most notable change was that far fewer samples were being rejected. Producers now feel confident in the quality they achieve and tell the team directly when their coffee is ready for transport. That same year, a warehouse was also opened, offering training and guidance year-round.

An approachable cup

This lot combines Bourbon, Typica and Caturra, grown at 2,000 metres and processed by the washed method. In the cup we find milk chocolate, pear and almond: classic, comforting notes that are very easy to enjoy. It is the kind of coffee that needs no long explanations: you brew it, you taste it, you go back for more.

How to enjoy it

We recommend brewing it as espresso, where the milk chocolate and almond gain presence, though it also works very well in super-automatic machines and the moka pot. One for the bar, for home and for sharing.

A coffee that shows quality is built by many people, with perseverance, and that a poor start need not be the end.