Our History
Being a pioneer coffee farm in the Chimaltenango - Guatemala region our history goes back to February 22nd 1851. The farm name began as “Las Mercedes Lo de Catalan”, initially owned by Don Francisco del Rosal Marquez, who started with plantations of cotton, rice and coffee.
Back then the village surrounding the farm was called “La Villa”, known now as San Martin Jilotepeque and the farm extended over an area of 300 hectares. Don Francisco had great success with his different plantations throughout the farm where he separated them by areas and altitudes. The coffee area was located at an altitude of 6,600 ft and surrounds itself from this time until now with a green, healthy and multidiverse forest.
In 1887 Don Francisco inherited to his three daughters: Pilar Del Rosal Avila, Angela del Rosal y Mercedes Del Rosal de Martinez. Mercedes the youngest was the only sister determined to continue with agriculture and making the farm productive. She continued to develop the coffee area and decided to start with avocado plantations which alongside the coffee and the forest became a perfect microclimate both coffee beans and avocado fruits.
On the 19th of April 1948, Mercedes inherits to Rogelia Martinez del Rosal her only daughter. She then continues with the farm production, adding to the coffee and avocadoes a very organized and successful milk production. And in the late 50s she divides the farm in equal parts for her two sons Jose Jaime y Jose Ramiro Martinez. After going through several economical crisis and the civil war in Guatemala, the farm suffered from unattended plantations and lack of supervision. Finally in the 1990s Jose Jaime Martinez y Martinez inherits to Ruth Maria de Los Angeles Martinez de Hammond, whom with her husband Dennis Kerry James Hammond start to bring the farm back to the productive and successful farm it had been in years before. With the passing of Dennis and Ruth and their son Nicholas Dennis Hammond Martinez and wife Angela Hammond have now continued with the legacy and maintained the farm as a sustainable coffee plantation.
The farms name now is “Catalan de Las Mercedes” and continue to work on the coffee plantation developing new and improved agricultural techniques. And continue to use the old Bourbon varieties with which the farm started in 1851, having also added Gesha, Pacamara and Maragogype varieties. This mainly as a way to implement new resistant varieties and productive plants according to climate and altitude issues. Just recently in 2012 our coffee classified as a winner in the 2012 Cup of Excellence in Guatemala, this not only proved to us that the coffee has an excellent profile but that the history and a well modernized farm can produce a quality coffee.
