El Injerto - 2023 COE No.1

El Injerto Estate

El Injerto Estate is located approximately 10 kilometers northwest of La Libertad, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and only 8 kilometers from the Mexican border. The estate enjoys average annual temperatures between 16–28°C and receives approximately 1,600–1,800 mm of rainfall each year. Its soils are primarily composed of limestone and sedimentary rock.

Millions of years ago, during the Cretaceous period, much of the Huehuetenango plateau and Guatemala’s mountain ranges lay beneath a shallow sea. Over time, the accumulation and weathering of marine sediments created the exceptionally fertile soils that define the region today.

Among Guatemala’s eight coffee-growing regions, only three are non-volcanic. Unlike volcanic regions, where repeated eruptions reshape the soil profile, Huehuetenango has preserved its ancient geological foundation. Warm, dry winds from the Mexican plains help protect high-altitude farms from frost, while abundant rivers and streams provide ideal conditions for coffee processing.

Located in southwestern Huehuetenango, La Libertad covers approximately 104 km² and is home to nearly 49,000 residents. The town has an average temperature of 23.6°C, a tropical climate with a rainy season from May to October, and has long served as an important administrative and cultural center due to its proximity to the Mexican border.

A Legacy of Excellence

El Injerto was acquired in 1874 by Jesús Aguirre Panama. Originally planted with sugarcane and other crops, the estate transitioned exclusively to coffee cultivation around 1900 and was named after the native Injerto fruit.

Since 1956, the estate has been managed by the third and fourth generations of the Aguirre family, whose mission is to produce exceptional specialty coffee through sustainable farming and strong social responsibility. Their vision is for El Injerto to be recognized not simply as a coffee, but as an origin whose producer, place, and processing methods are fully traceable, helping educate coffee enthusiasts around the world.

Farm & Cultivation

The estate spans 720 hectares, of which 470 hectares are preserved as native rainforest, creating a unique and stable microclimate.

Coffee is cultivated between 1,500 and 1,950 meters above sea level beneath a diverse canopy of shade trees. This balanced ecosystem promotes healthy coffee trees while eliminating the need for insecticides and fungicides.

Harvest season runs from January through April.

The estate cultivates a wide range of varieties, including:

● Red Catuai

● Red Bourbon

● Pacamara

● Maragogype

● SL28

● Geisha

● Mocca

Sustainability

El Injerto places great importance on the well-being of its employees by providing healthcare, meals, education, housing, and programs such as solar water heating.

Its farming practices prioritize environmental stewardship through manual weed control, vermicomposting, and other sustainable agricultural methods.

All energy required for both the estate and processing facilities is generated by two privately owned hydroelectric plants together with solar power. Employees are provided with free electricity, while wastewater and environmental impacts from coffee processing are carefully minimized.

El Injerto was also the first coffee farm in Guatemala to achieve Carbon Neutral Certification.

International Recognition

El Injerto is one of the most awarded coffee estates in the world.

Among its many achievements are:

● Ten-time Cup of Excellence Champion

● Winner of the Exceptional Cup

● Recipient of the SCAA Coffee of the Year Award

● Named Exporter of the Year by AGEXPORT in 2011

The estate also hosts its own exclusive online auctions, offering rare micro lots that are highly sought after by collectors and specialty coffee enthusiasts worldwide.

Pacamara: An Extraordinary Variety

Pacamara is renowned for its distinctive appearance and exceptionally large beans. With broad leaves, tall trees, and oversized seeds, it has earned a reputation as one of El Salvador’s most remarkable coffee varieties.

Today, Pacamara is considered one of the most celebrated varieties in specialty coffee, often rivaling—or even surpassing—Geisha in prestigious competitions.

When Pacamara first appeared in the Cup of Excellence competitions in 2003 and 2004, judges found its flavor profile so unconventional that they hesitated to award it high scores. By 2005, however, it had begun to gain widespread recognition, and in 2006 it swept the top four positions in El Salvador’s Cup of Excellence.

From 2008 to 2010, El Injerto’s Pacamara won the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence for three consecutive years. The estate claimed additional first-place titles in 2012, 2013, and 2015, while finishing second in 2014, bringing its total to six championship titles and firmly establishing Pacamara as one of the world’s premier specialty coffee varieties.

More recently, in 2023, Honduran producer Oscar Edgardo Tinoco of Finca El Guayabo won the Cup of Excellence with a Pacamara, further demonstrating the variety’s continued excellence.

The Story Behind Pacamara

Unlike naturally evolved varieties such as Geisha, Bourbon, or Typica, Pacamara is the result of deliberate breeding.

In 1958, researchers at El Salvador’s national coffee research institute crossed Pacas—a natural Bourbon mutation—with Maragogype, a Typica mutation known for its unusually large beans.

Because the first-generation hybrid displayed significant genetic variability, researchers spent decades stabilizing the variety through repeated self-pollination, hand pollination, and rigorous selection.

Each breeding generation—from nursery to mature tree—required at least three to four years. After nearly 30 years and five generations of selection (F5), Pacamara was finally established.

Even today, however, the variety has not been completely stabilized. Some trees may still express characteristics inherited from either Pacas or Maragogype, and further breeding would be required to achieve complete genetic uniformity.