Chiapas coffee, a natural treasure, is known as “green gold” for its immense economic and cultural value, and for its deep roots in rural communities, supporting 170,000 families who cultivate 250,000 hectares. The roasting and grinding process involves pulping, drying, hulling, and cleaning, before finally roasting and grinding the coffee beans for packaging.
Don Alonso Méndez Sántiz, a coffee producer and roaster from San Juan Cancuc, explains that coffee farming is a vital source of income for families in the social sector, who cultivate 80% of the state’s coffee-growing area. The average cost of coffee is 300 pesos per kilogram, and when roasted, ground, and served, it sells for 40 pesos, yielding an income of 4,000 pesos per kilogram.
In this regard, Méndez Sántiz urges the people of Chiapas to increase their domestic coffee consumption. From the total area, an average volume of 1 to 1.4 million quintals is obtained per agricultural cycle, which necessitates greater domestic consumption to improve the income of families who depend on this activity in the state.
Currently, domestic coffee consumption in Chiapas averages 600 grams per person per year. Ideally, it should reach 6 kilograms per person per year to guarantee a better market and price for the state’s production. The aromatic bean is cultivated in 88 municipalities and in more than 5,000 rural communities.
Don Alonso Méndez insists that the people of Chiapas can help increase consumption and thus guarantee the domestic market. Of the total volume, 80% is exported, mainly to the United States, Canada, Asia, and European countries, while 15% is for domestic consumption and only 5% is consumed within the state.
Coffee consumption does not cause health problems, and Arabica coffees are mild. Coffee from Chiapas is cultivated on small plots of land within the social sector. Coffee is grown at altitudes above 1,000 meters above sea level, while Arabica and Robusta coffees are planted at altitudes below 1,000 meters.
This is one of the main agricultural activities that demands the greatest consumption from the population. Due to low domestic consumption, production depends on international markets, which purchase parchment coffee for 120 pesos, green coffee for 220 pesos, and roasted and ground coffee for 300 pesos.
Source: oem
