Guatemala Origin Trip 2025

If you are ever able to visit us in Guatemala, we highly recommend it! This is where you will meet our team and understand the depth of our operation.

Harvest in Guatemala lasts from mid-January through April, and this is our busiest time of year. The best time to visit us is during the peak of the harvest once we have a diverse selection of lots ready for cupping, around February to late March. The coffees tend to be fresh at this stage (and somewhat papery), but we can guide you through cupping these fresh lots. 

At this time of year, there’s a lot going on all at once. We are buying both parchment and cherry on a daily basis, we are in frequent contact with producers, and we are cupping, sorting, and approving dozens of samples each day so that we can purchase exactly what we need for our customers. And of course, we are hosting our coffee roasting clients during these months!

Come with us in 2025

From the experiences in the past years, we have decided to continue the group format for visits to Huehuetenango. Those of you that have been with us, know that its a long journey - 30 min on a small plane, to Huehue city and then a 3 hour drive to a town called San Antonio Huista where our warehouse is located and where we base ourselves for the farm visits.  This normally takes 3 days and its best when shared with other like minded people in the industry! 

So we have opened up potential trips to Huehuetenango the following weeks:

  • 10th - 14th February 

  • 24th - 28th February

  • 3rd - 7th March

  • 10th - 14th March FULLY BOOKED

If you are interested in visiting Huehuetenango, please let us know as soon as possible.

Visiting farms is a unique experience, and we’re here to help you make the most of it.

Visiting Huehuetenango used to be a long 8-10 hour bus ride; now, a convenient 30 minute flight from Guatemala City to Huehue is available. Even so, travel around the Huehuetenango region can be slow due to poor road conditions. In order to visit Huehue, we ask for at least 3 days of your time in addition to a day in our cupping lab, and we ask that you have a strong inclination to purchase coffee from Huehuetenango.

For those not making the trip to Huehuetenango, we can host you in our lab for a day of cupping and a trip to visit our dry mill outside Guatemala City. If you’d like to visit a producer not located in Huehuetenango, let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate; it is sometimes possible to visit growers in the Fraijanes region as a day trip. We ask that you do not participate in other cuppings while you are visiting us, as we cannot allow delays to interrupt our cupping schedule.

Practical info

Booking

There are few costs involved with a trip to Guatemala. If you wish to visit Huehuetenango, this is what you need to keep in mind:

  • Book your own flights to Guatemala City via La Aurora International Airport

    Our offices and lab are conveniently located in Zone 14, a few minutes from the airport. Please note that you may need required visa for your travels.

  • Book your hotel in Guatemala City
    We recommend you book a hotel or Airbnb in Zone 10 or 14 - these are safer areas and closer to the lab, which will cut down on delays due to bad traffic.  A good value option in the city is the Hotel Inmaculada. 

  • Flight to Huehuetenango - booked by us (~$250)
    We will need a copy of your passport for this. We will invoice for this booking.

  • Accomodation in Huehuetenango - reserved by us
    Pay at the hotel (~GTQ 250 / $32 per room per night) in cash. We will remind you to withdraw cash before heading into Huehuetenango.

  • Food & transportation in Huehuetenango - sponsored by Primavera

Before your flight

  • Travel insurance

    We highly recommend you have health or medical insurance that is international. Please note that if anything were to happen, our social hospitals are not up to par and private care can be expensive.

  • Vaccinations

    We request you have an up-to-date covid vaccine in order to visit our lab and our producer partners. This is to ensure the health of our team and our partners. No other vaccinations are required in Guatemala

During your stay

  • Money

    The local currency is the Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ). Card payments through VISA / Mastercard are usually accepted at restaurants and grocery stores, but we advise to have a small amount of cash on hand. In Huehuetenango, cards are hardly accepted and cash needs to be brought.

  • Getting around

    We recommend to use Uber to get around, it is safe and reliable in Guatemala City and Antigua. Plan in enough time to account for heavy traffic during rush hour.

  • Food

    We advise you to be careful where and what you eat and drink (try to avoid raw salads and street food), and make sure to wash your hands often. Vegetarians and vegans – do not worry, there are lots of options. Rice, beans, avocado and corn tortillas will fill you right up! Bring your own snacks if needed.

  • Weather

    Please bring both sunscreen and a jacket, the mountains can be sunny during the day and chilly at night. During the day the temperature ranges from 22ºC/72ºF to 30ºC/86ºF. Bring a water bottle to make sure you’ll be hydrated throughout the day.

  • Safety

    Guatemala City is one of the more dangerous cities in the world. You’re advised to not go out on the street after sundown, but take an uber to get around. Do not bring any valuables, and make sure you do not show any expensive jewelry or watches. Make sure you stay in either zone 4 or 10 and do not travel to zones apart from 1 and 9. If taken these general precautions, you should be OK.

  • Health

    We advise you to bring any medication that you might need. Bug spray is recommended to help avoid any medical conditions spread by insect bites.

  • Internet

    Wifi can be unreliable and there are few places that offer. If you want to have a good internet connection and your current carrier charges high prices, an eSim (if supported by your phone) or physical sim card is recommended. Sim cards can be purchased at the airport, we recommend Tigo as the most reliable network in Guatemala.

  • Illegal substances

    Drugs (including marijuana) are illegal in Guatemala and highly penalized so please don’t bring or use any during your stay.

Recommendations

Hotels

Restaurants

  • Mercado 24 (Zona 4, Guatemala City)

  • Flor de Liz (Traditional Guatemalan with a super modern twist, chef worked at Noma) (Zona 4, Guatemala City)

  • El Griego (Zona 10, Guatemala City)

  • Cosina de Dona Pu (Zona 2, Guatemala City) – careful at night, they also close early

Coffee shops