Santa Isabel

2025 marks 14 years of Market Lane's partnership with producer Luis ‘Wicho’ Valdés and Santa Isabel Estate. The 300-hectare farm sits in Guatemala’s Alta Verapaz department, where the lush rainforest, cool climate and plentiful rainfall create fantastic conditions for growing coffee.

In recent years, Wicho has taken bold steps to reduce his reliance on chemical inputs and non-organic materials, recognising that these can lead to a vicious cycle of soil degradation and the need for more inputs. Instead, he’s begun producing his own biofertiliser, which helps make the coffee plants more naturally resistant to disease and insects. As he puts it, “Instead of investing in medicine, we want to invest more in nutrition.” 

The results of this progressive approach have been significant – Wicho no longer uses pesticides, and his reliance on fungicides has more than halved. These new practices have led to healthier, more resilient trees that produce deliciously distinct and wonderfully complex coffees.   

• Region: Cobán
• Country: Guatemala
• Variety: Caturra
• Processing: Washed