La Voz Coffee Cooperative

2 photos · 2020

2 photographs tagged La Voz Coffee Cooperative, 2020.

Woman worker at La Voz Coffee Cooperative in San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala, sorts green coffee beans on a red cloth surface.
La Voz is a coffee cooperative based in San Juan La Laguna, a town on the southern shore of Lake Atitlán known for its cooperative-run coffee and textile businesses. Member growers cultivate arabica beans on the volcanic slopes above the lake, at elevations that typically exceed 1,500 meters. After drying, workers hand-sort the parchment coffee to remove broken, discolored, or insect-damaged beans before the lot is milled and prepared for export. This manual grading step is standard practice among small-scale specialty cooperatives aiming to meet buyer quality grades.

Sorting Coffee Beans at La Voz Cooperative, San Juan La Laguna

Shaded coffee plantation path winds through dense vegetation on hillside slopes above Lake Atitlán in San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala.
La Voz is a coffee-growing cooperative based in San Juan La Laguna, a Tz'utujil Maya town on the western shore of Lake Atitlán. The cooperative's members farm coffee on the volcanic slopes above the lake, and dirt paths like this one connect the growing plots to processing facilities in town. San Juan La Laguna sits at an elevation of roughly 1,600 meters, conditions well suited to shade-grown arabica coffee.

Trail Through La Voz Coffee Plots, San Juan La Laguna

Built in Minneapolis

Minneapolis Photographer

Browse by location, move through long-running series, or start with recent work.