Amidst the struggle for indigenous rights and preservation of their diverse cultures in the Mayan Highlands of Chiapas, you will find the finest Mexican coffees.

In Perspective

Coffee first achieved prominence in the beginning of the 18th century when formal plantations were established in Chiapas to supply a modest internal market. By the middle of the 19th century, German and Italian farmers settled in Chiapas along the Pacific Coast plateau. Creating large plantations (“haciendas”) devoted to the production of coffee, they depended on the indentured servitude of the Mayan whose families had traditionally lived in the highlands. The Mayan people realized that coffee also grew well in their communities and left the oppressive plantations to form their own grower-owned and -operated cooperatives.

Today, coffee accounts for 2/3 of all organic acreage in Mexico. Fifty percent of all organic coffee in the country is produced by indigenous farming groups: Mixtec, Cuicatec, Chatin, Chinantec, Zapotec, Tlapanec, Tojolabal, Chontal, Totonac, Amusgo, Maya, Tepehua, Tzotzil, Nahua, Otomi, and Tzelta. Ninety percent of all coffee growers in Mexico are small-scale farmers with less than 12 acres of land.

A Quality Cup

Now, after years of selecting the best seeds and carefully cultivating the crop, coffee from the Mayan Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico are some of the fullest-flavored, smooth coffees the world has to offer. Surrounded by dramatic mountains and lush valleys, connected by long waterfalls, the coffee varieties of Caturra, Mundo Novo, and Typica flourish to produce a wonderful medium-bodied, bright coffee with slight nutty and chocolate notes. Higher Grounds Trading Co. is proud to be working with three amazing co-ops to bring the regions finest fair trade, organic and shade grown coffees direct to you.

Featured Farmers

Maya Vinic
Guided and Inspired by the knowledge of their ancestors, Maya Vinic (Mayan Man in Tzotzil) is a cooperative of over 700 small-scale coffee growers from the municipalities of Chenalhó, Pantelhó and Chalchihuitán, in the Mayan Highlands of Chiapas.

Mut Vitz - Currently Out of Stock
Named after the mountain which towers over the local villages Mut Vitz (Bird Mountain in Tzotzil), is made up of about 600 growers in El Bosque and San Andres. All growers in the Co-op are part of the Zapatista movement for indigenous rights.

Yachil Xojobal Chulchan
Through the formation of Yachil Xojobal Chulchan (New Light in the Sky in the Tzetal Language), coffee growers throughout the region work together to earn a dignified wage for their crops and continue the struggle for indigenous rights in the face of global economic policies that work to dismantle the culture of the indigenous.

Click here to purchase coffee from Mexico.