Wicho Valdés

This year’s Prime from Wicho Valdés is a washed Geisha that reveals an unexpected side of one of the coffee world’s most celebrated varieties. Elegant and complex with green apple, orange blossom and black currant leaf. Wicho grew up helping his father on the family coffee farm and fell in love with coffee at an early age. After studying agronomy, he returned in 1998 to lead Santa Isabel into a new era. Today, he continues to run the farms with his family, and his three children already spend their weekends and school holidays among the coffee trees. The coffee comes from Santa Isabel in the cool and rainy highlands of Cobán, where it grows at 1,400 metres above sea level. This is not the bold, jasmine-heavy floral character often associated with Geisha. The expression is more subtle and focused, with a complexity that unfolds with every sip. After harvest, the coffee is pulped, fermented and washed before being slowly dried, first outdoors in the sun and then on raised beds inside well-ventilated greenhouses. The Valdés family has a strong commitment to nature. Nearly a third of their land is preserved forest that protects water resources and supports biodiversity. The coffee grows beneath shade trees that improve the soil and maintain balance in the ecosystem. Since 2021, Wicho has also been working with more natural and regenerative methods, including developing his own solutions to strengthen the coffee trees and reduce the need for treatments. We are proud to once again feature Wicho Valdés in our Prime series. The combination of an exceptional variety, a skilled producer and a completely unexpected expression makes this a coffee that continues to surprise us. Coffee Facts Producer: Wicho Valdés Origin: Cobán, Guatemala Farm: Santa Isabel Altitude: 1,400 m.a.s.l. Variety: Geisha Process: Washed Flavours: Elegant and complex with green apple, orange blossom and black currant leaf