Misión San Lucas Toliman

The Mission was founded in 1958 in the lakeside town of San Lucas, which sits at the base of a volcanic mountain in one of Central America’s premier coffee growing regions. The organization is operated by more than 100 Guatemalan men and women and they have several programs focused on empowering the people of the region. Their coffee program, called Café Juan Ana was founded to help increase the amount of money local farmers could receive for their crop. 

The rich volcanic soil and high altitude creates a perfect environment for bright, flavorful coffees. But the market price in San Lucas has remained low due to the lack of local education surrounding coffee farming and processing, as well as by the pressure of several large exporters in the region. 

The Mission aims to help farmers receive a better price for their coffee. The Juan Ana coffee mill pays double the market price in exchange for the region’s highest quality coffee, and they sell it to roasters using a direct trade model. This means that roasters (like Sway) buy the coffee directly from the processing station, rather than from an importer. This eliminates the markups in between and ensures that the farmer is receiving the lion’s share of the profits.