Guatemala | Santa Felisa | Starmaya | Natural

by Proud Mary Coffee

Region: Acatenango Elevation: 1520-1900 masl  About: Since 1904, Santa Felisa Estate has been guided by the hands of the Meneses family. Today, siblings Anabella and Antonio carry the legacy forward, uniting time-honoured practices with innovative processing techniques to produce coffees of exceptional character.  Grown in the Acatenango Valley, Santa Felisa’s coffees benefit from an ideal mix of cool mountain breezes, warm days, and crisp Pacific evenings. This unique climate helps concentrate sugars in the fruit, resulting in dense, sweet beans with vibrant flavour.  Cherries are selectively handpicked only at peak ripeness (18–23 brix), then carefully dried on raised beds to ensure consistent airflow and even drying. The process is gentle on both the cherries and the people who turn them daily. Direct sunlight is avoided to help regulate microbial activity, allowing naturally occurring microorganisms on the farm to dominate the fermentation process.  The Starmaya variety is a