Guatemala's Inconvenient Truth, Part 2: Who does specialty serve?

Specialty coffee changes the story for the indigenous people of Guatemala. Coffee as a tool of oppression finally offers hope....and then something a bit more complicated.   This episode explores the tension between the values of the Mayan communities who grow coffee, and the values that drive the specialty coffee movement.   Many of the signals we typically look for in our coffees - super-specialty flavours, Fairtrade certification, “5th generation family farm” - might actually exclude coffee grown by indigenous Guatemalans.    This episode might change what kind of Guatemalan coffee you buy.    Please spread the word about A History of Coffee!   Follow us on Instagram - James (@filterstoriespodcast)  and Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) - and tag us in an Instagram story.    Write a review on Apple Podcasts   Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify     This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Mahlkönig, manufacturers of world-leading coffee grinders for 100 years for your home and cafe.      Read Jonathan’s book, Coffee: A Global History   Support James’ work directly by buying him a coffee at Ko-fi.com/FilterStories   Read James’ article on Dieseldorf, the famous German plantation owner, in Standart    Pick up a copy of Prof. Ted Fischer’s excellent book Making Better Coffee: How Maya Farmers and Third Wave Taste Makers Create Value   Follow Juan Jose on LinkedIn to keep up with his PhD on coffee farming in Jacaltenango exploring how ecology, generational memory and ritual all shape how Jacalteco farmers tend the land.      Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here.Office coffee = easy recurring revenue. WMF’s Elevation 10 and Peak 50 do the work for you. Learn more here. "Seize the Moment", the tabletop device from DiFluid that guides your customers through their coffee as it cools. Use code FILTER and this link to get 10% off.