The Alma project is a network of coffee-growing families across Guatemala's highlands. Edwin Martinez, the third-generation coffee producer and founder of Onyx Green Coffee Importers grew up spending holidays at his family's farm in Huehuetenango. His grandfather, Don Felipe, founded Finca Vista Hermosa back in 1957.

Twenty years ago Edwin had a vision to directly connect smallholder farmers in Guatemala with quality-driven roasters around the world. He understood something fundamental: the traditional commodity market doesn't work for most Guatemalan producers. Too many farmers were operating at a loss, despite growing exceptional coffee in one of the world's most ideal coffee regions.

Through Onyx Coffee, Edwin now works with over forty producing families across Guatemala. The Alma project embodies his philosophy that everything has a home. From the highest-scoring Cup of Excellence submissions to the coffees that score in the low eighties, there's value and a market. Alma focuses specifically on bright, fruited coffees scoring 84.5 and above. The quality control team based in Guatemala meticulously selects for consistent, clean, and lightly fruity profiles from families in Huehuetenango and occasionally other regions like Jalapa.

Alma means "the soul" in Spanish. These are coffees grown by families who've been cultivating in the highlands of Huehuetenango for three generations, working remote mountainsides where hot dry winds from Mexico's Tehuantepec plains create microclimates that allow coffee to grow as high as 6,500 feet. The region's extreme remoteness means nearly every producer processes their own coffee, washing and fermenting the beans for 24 hours before drying them on concrete patios for seven to ten days.

The Martinez family's approach to coffee extends far beyond quality control. Each month, they host agronomist visits at Finca Vista Hermosa for neighboring farmers, some of whom travel hours to learn and improve their own operations. After each harvest, Edwin's father, Don Edwin, leads a small group of doctors, dentists, and veterinarians into the remote highlands to support indigenous communities and their livelihoods.

For every pound of Alma sold, five cents goes directly to Habitat for Humanity Guatemala's Smokeless Stove Program. The clean stoves impact families by increasing indoor air quality and wood-fuel efficiency while decreasing cooking time.

The program addresses a serious health crisis. In rural Guatemala, where 90% of families use wood as their main fuel source and more than half the population suffers from respiratory illnesses, these stoves reduce respiratory disease cases by 83% within the first six months. They cut firewood consumption by nearly half, helping tackle deforestation while decreasing household carbon monoxide emissions by 98%.

Families participate in building their own stoves, making adobe blocks that will form the structure. The experience gives them skills they often apply to other home improvements. It's community development that starts with coffee but reaches much further.

Courtesy of Onyx Coffee and Sagebrush Coffee