Have you ever thought that a cup of certified organic coffee could save the planet and improve someone’s life? Well, we have. Our lifestyle choices are as powerful as the drops in the ocean. They can change the whole game for the better or worse.

There is more about organic specialty coffee than being the ultimate delight for your taste buds. Here, at GREEN MAYA, we love organic coffee not only for its freshness, sophistication, and incredible taste but also its inherent ability to bring good into the world. Each cup of GREEN MAYA organic specialty coffee you sip actually benefits farmers as well as their communities and ecosystems.

When our buyers scout the remotest and high-altitude regions of Central and South America for the best coffees, they look for those farmers who are passionate about improving the quality of life in their communities along with preserving the environment and local culture.

At GREEN MAYA our next biggest factor in selecting a coffee—from farm to roast to brew—besides high quality is sustainability. We visit the farmers personally not only to ensure we get high-quality beans but also to learn more about them and build long-term relationships. We want them to know their hard work is cherished, support them and their communities so that they can deliver the best they have.

GREEN MAYA Inc. supports natural habitat preservation, environmental protection, indigenous cultural heritage preservation, life quality improvement, and fair trade. Every step in our products’ journey, from harvesting to packaging and distribution abides by these values.

Natural Habitat Preservation

Organic coffee farming contributes to the development of deep, rich topsoil. The farmers create mulch out of the coffee cherry pulp and add other nitrogen-rich elements to it then turn it for a full year to create a compost to spread around the base of the trees. Consequently, the plants develop a longer root structure, improving moisture content and reducing soil erosion.

Organic coffee farming also provides better habitats for birds in and around the farm. The birds, in turn, help to combat pests, leading to a natural insect-controlled environment. Snails, slugs, and other large insects, like the dragonfly, thrive on organic coffee farms. They help keep the soil healthy by keeping out other insects that prey on coffee trees.

Environmental Protection

The Echeverria family has been cultivating coffee since 1878, in the municipality of Patzún, department of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The farm has been OCIA certified organic since 1996 and is also certified Bird-Friendly by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. Only 96 hectares of the farm are used for coffee production while the remainder of the 286 hectares is preserved forest. The coffee plants, some over 100 years old, grow in volcanic soil under an old growth canopy of native shade trees. As one of the oldest operating coffee farms in Guatemala, the knowledge and tradition brought to the cherry selection, fermentation, and drying is unmatched.

Indigenous Cultural Heritage Preservation

ASOBAGRI was founded in 1989 and it’s an association of more than 1,200 farmers who produce coffee on small family-owned farms from 80 communities within the municipality of Santa Cruz Barillas, located in the department of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. The spectacularly rugged terrain in this isolated corner of Guatemala has served to preserve the indigenous heritage, distinct clothing, and dialects that can vary from one mountain ridge to the next. ASOBAGRI serves as an important bridge between farmers and their production of coffee for export, particularly with technical assistance in sustainable

The idea behind establishing a cooperative model like ASOBAGRI was to help the farmers organize their efforts and combine their resources to develop social projects aimed at improving the quality of life in their communities.

Some of our organic specialty coffee is sourced from family-owned farms organized around the Asociación de Saint Peters, located in the municipality of Dolores in the department of Tolima, Colombia. For many years, Tolima has remained hidden in plain sight cradled between other well-known growing regions because armed conflict and coca leaf production has isolated small coffee producers and exposed them to high rates of violence.

Life Quality Improvement

We provide training and financial resources that lead to an increase farmer’s incomes and their quality of life by improving the quality of their products. Palto is currently working to improve sustainable farm management by promoting coffee cultivation under native shade trees. Palto is also building a centralized mill to ensure consistent drying and improved coffee processing.

The Sociedad de Producción Rural Unión de Ejidos y Comunidades San Fernando has invested in nurseries to support more than 1,300 farmers to renovate their coffee farms. The organization is also leading efforts to improve housing and diversification initiatives such as coffee shops, and training programs on Vermicompost to turn organic wastes into very high-quality compost.

Fair trade

We work with farmers to ensure we get their best coffee. To do so means paying top dollar in this highly competitive coffee buying world. The long-term relationships we’ve developed with the farmers that grow our coffee means we treat them with the respect they deserve. We pay more-than-fair prices to keep producing quality coffee, as well as sustain the farmers and their communities.