Finca Pocitos
We see too often Mexico overlooked as a quality coffee-growing region, and Finca Pocitos is a great example of what this country can achieve.
Carlos Valdivia is a fourth-generation coffee farmer at Finca Pocitos (which is the premier farm of 5 run by the Valdivia family), and over the past decade has shifted the farm's focus to specialty grade coffee. Much of this shift was brought about by a "coffee rust” outbreak in Veracruz between 2014 2015 (coffee rust damages trees, lowers yields, and overall threatens the livelihood of farmers whose crops succumb to it).
In reaction, Valdivia implemented new and better production techniques to combat disease and improve final cup quality (fetching a higher price for their crop). Mitigating disease/ pests, improving fertilization management, and introducing greater crop variety have increased Pocitos" sustainability overall and it's obvious to us that the end result is a very desirable cup.
Pairing shrewd farm management with open experimentation gives Finca Pocitos the ability to succeed and even thrive, especially as the Valdivias transition their farms towards better cupping coffees. And, as other farms in the area follow suit, the quality and longevity of Mexican coffee from Veracruz has nowhere to go but up.
