top of page
indii
General info
State: Guerrero
Region: Montaña Alta
Producer Communities: Monte Alegre, Ojo de Agua, Paraje Montero, San Mateo, San Miguel, Tapayoltepec
Language: 100% of the producers in this lot speak the indigenous Me´phaa language
Varieties: Mundo Novo, Typica, Bourbon, Costa Rica 95, Colombia
Elevation: 1,400 - 1,800 masl
Process: Natural
History
Since 2017, the state of Guerrero has provided Ensambles with exceptional coffee that grows in the Montaña Alta region, a remote and forgotten area mostly inhabited by the indigenous Me'phaa people.
In this corner of Mexico, which represents only 0.35% of the national territory, there is a community of producers who care for and work the land, rich in biodiversity. They are the artisans behind the Nahual edition.
Productive Landscapes of the Montaña
The farms of Guerrero’s producers resemble small jungles, covering less than one hectare, with timber and fruit trees that provide shade for the coffee plants. These agroforestry systems, predominant in the Montaña Alta region, offer environmental services, protect ecosystems from climate change, and help conserve biodiversity.
Guerrero stands out for producing nearly 90% of natural coffee, unlike other Mexican states where washed coffee predominates.
Challenges We Face
The Montaña Alta has been classified as one of the most marginalized and poverty-stricken areas in Mexico.
Poverty has led to a wave of migration of natives to the United States and northern Mexico.
Drug trafficking has also taken over these vulnerable areas, casting the Montaña in a very negative light, which has been hard to overcome.
Few coffee companies show interest in establishing transparent business relationships with the region’s producers, allowing oligopolies to form that impose low prices and show general disinterest in coffee cultivation.
The Montaña Alta is an unsafe place for women due to prevalent dynamics of machismo and misogyny.
Ensambles Connects with La Montaña
Before Ensambles' involvement, almost all the coffee purchasing was controlled by a monopoly, limiting the income of producers. For the past seven years, Ensambles, through the Bios Terra Institute, has worked alongside coffee growers, training and supporting them in sustainable farming practices, improving coffee quality, evaluating their coffee in mobile labs, and connecting them to national and international markets.
What does "Indii" mean?
Indii means tiger or jaguar in the indigenous Me'phaa language. This predator, one of the largest felines in the Americas, inhabits the mountainous regions of Guerrero and holds great significance in the history, culture, and biodiversity of the southern state.
People of Guerrero associate the mammal with fertility, rain, strength, authority, the victorious warrior, and the mythical connection between nature and humanity.
bottom of page