Olmec Gold

Back in 2015 I travelled to Latin America for the first time. The plan was a short coffee buying trip of 1 week to Guatemala, based in the old Spanish city of Antigua, 50 minutes from the capital city.

At this point in my life whilst having visited countries in Europe, Asia & Africa, now Latin America and Guatemala in particular really piqued my interest.

Later that year, inspired by my trip to Guatemala, I opened Guat’s Up! in Guildhall Street to help raise the profile of specialty coffee and champion micro-lot coffees for both espresso based and manual brew drinks.

On my travels I’ve always been on the lookout for investment opportunities outside of the UK, having missed the boat somewhat with Antigua, Guatemala as property there has jumped significantly in the last 8 years.

Last year on my way to Guatemala it seemed like a good idea to travel via Mexico to see what this part of Central America was like. I visited Mexico City, Tulum and Oaxaca City on my way to Guatemala and on my return leg decided to visit the Pacific Coastal town of Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca.

After only 3 days in Puerto Escondido the decision to invest there was made. 2 months later, paperwork in order, I began the process of starting a Mexican company called Invest in Tacos and employed an English/Spanish speaking business partner based in Puerto Escondido.

Puerto Escondido is beginning to gain momentum as a destination, its relaxed surfing vibes stem from some of the best, if not the best, surfing spots in Mexico. The food is of a high standard too. Oaxaca state grows a lot of food, agave for Mezcal and as it turns out coffee as well.

The initial concept for Invest in Tacos was to buy property for holiday lets, that project is ongoing and those stories are for another article. However, the urge to become involved with the coffee communities of Oaxaca was irresistible.

I travelled around Oaxaca state in a 2000 Nissan Frontier pickup I bought, visiting coffee communities in the Southern mountains of Oaxaca and the Northern mountain areas too.

The Sierra Sur of southern Oaxaca was of particular interest. It’s an area where various communities still grow coffee in very traditional methods within the natural ecosystems, often with coffee varieties not often found in other parts of the World. This area is also close to Puerto Escondido.

Having now secured some coffee from a community in the area, my very first consignment of coffee sourced by my own international company is on a boat heading to the UK.

This coffee will be offered roasted to our existing cafe outlets & web-shop customers. Butterworth & Son will also be offering the un-roasted coffee to other roasters around the UK under the trademarked brand of Aztec Gold Coffee, therefore moving into the arena of raw coffee bean supply.

 

Rob Butterworth

 

OLMEC GOLD®

Origin: México

Region: Santa Cruz Ozolotepec, Sierra Sur, Oaxaca

Altitude: 1450- 1650 MASL

Varietals: Typica, Bourbon, Pluma

Process: Washed

Tasting notes: Chocolate, citrus & sweet nuts. Well rounded.