Like many other coffee producers in Guatemala, his family was of German descent. We were shown how fertile coffee beans are sprouted and carefully grown until at about two years of age, they are planted into soil. Next was Atitlan. This region is dominated by a large, crater-formed lake and is surrounded by volcanoes. We visited three fincas, reachable only by powerboats.
Most coffee is grown right along the shores of the lake and are well nourished by the volcanic soil.
The scenery here was breathtaking and immense. Of particular interest were the large brick patios where huge mounds of coffee, already picked and cleaned of its outer pulp, were patiently raked by workers into long, symmetrical rows to dry in the sun. Surrounded by ripe coffee trees, massive volcanoes, clear blue sky and the vast lake, the effect was surreal. Most of the huts we passed had picked coffee beans drying on corrugated aluminum roofs. To reach Huehuetenango, our next coffee region, the terrain was so mountainous we travelled by small plane.